The Mythimna separata general odorant binding protein 2 (MsepGOBP2) is involved in the larval detection of the sex pheromone (Z)-11-hexadecenal

BACKGROUND Mythimna separata is a notorious pest causing crop damages at the larval stage. Gaining insight into larval olfaction mechanisms would provide knowledge for olfaction-based management of M. separata larvae. RESULTS In the present research, ( Z )-11-hexadecenal ( Z 11-16: Ald), a major component of M. separata sex pheromone, was found to attract early-instar larvae of M. separata in a food context. Using a fluorescent binding assay, we found that M. separata general odorant binding protein 2 (MsepGOBP2) exhibited high binding affinity to Z 11-16: Ald. Further, silencing of MsepGOBP2 resulted in a sharp reduction of the response to Z 11-16: Ald, which could not be mitigated by increasing the concentration of Z 11-16: Ald. Additionally, we employed molecular dynamics-based approaches to unravel the interaction details between MsepGOBP2 and Z 11-16: Ald, specifically the binding of Z 11-16: Ald to MsepGOBP2. CONCLUSION Z 11-16: Ald is attractive to early-instar larvae of M. separata , and MsepGOBP2 is identified to be indispensable in the larval detection of Z 11-16: Ald. These results could aid in the development of olfaction-based methods for controlling M. separata in the larval stage. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.