Evolutionary Process Underlying Receptor Gene Expansion and Cellular Divergence of Olfactory Sensory Neurons in Honeybees by Weixing Zhang & Yage Nie & Tao Xu & Yiheng Li & Yicong Xu & Xiaoyong Chen & Peiyu Shi & Fang Liu & Hongxia Zhao & Qing Ma & Jin Xu instant download

Evolutionary Process Underlying Receptor Gene Expansion and Cellular Divergence of Olfactory Sensory Neurons in Honeybees by Weixing Zhang & Yage Nie & Tao Xu & Yiheng Li & Yicong Xu & Xiaoyong Chen & Peiyu Shi & Fang Liu & Hongxia Zhao & Qing Ma & Jin Xu instant download

DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaf080; Molecular Biology and Evolution, 42, 4, 2025-4-2.; Abstract: Olfaction is crucial for animals' survival and adaptation. Unlike the strict singular expression of odorant receptor (OR) genes in vertebrate olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), insects exhibit complex OR gene expression patterns. In honeybees (Apis mellifera), a significant expansion of OR genes implies a selection preference for the olfactory demands of social insects. However, the mechanisms underlying receptor expression specificity and their contribution to OSN divergence remain unclear. In this study, we used single-nucleus multiomics profiling to investigate the transcriptional regulation of OR genes and the cellular identity of OSNs in A. mellifera. We identified three distinct OR expression patterns, singular OR expression, co-expression of multiple OR genes with a single active promoter, and co-expression of multiple OR genes with multiple active promoters. Notably, ∼50% of OSNs co-expre