Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39810219›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in zoology2025

AmelOBP4: an antenna-specific odor-binding protein gene required for olfactory behavior in the honey bee (Apis mellifera).

Fang Liu, Yu Lai, Lixian Wu, Qiang Li, Linyue Lei, Wei Yin, Yuan Zhang, Zachary Y Huang, Hongxia Zhao

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in zoology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. The symbiotic bacteriaMicrobiology spectrum · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Fang Liu *Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510260, People's Republic of China.
Yu Lai *Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510260, People's Republic of China.
Lixian Wu *Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510260, People's Republic of China.
Qiang LiGuangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510260, People's Republic of China.
Linyue LeiGuangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510260, People's Republic of China.
Wei YinThe Core Facility, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
Yuan ZhangYunnan Academy of Biodiversity, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224, Yunnan, China.
Zachary Y HuangDepartment of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
Hongxia ZhaoGuangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510260, People's Republic of China. hxzh110@giabr.gd.cn.

Funding

Agriculture Research System of China CARS-44Guangzhou Science, Technology and Innovation Commission 2024E04J0904National Science and Technology Planning Project G2023030044LNatural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province 2023A1515030072
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOdorant binding proteins (OBPs) initiate the process of odorant perception. Numerous investigations have demonstrated that OBPs bind a broad variety of chemicals and are more likely to carry pheromones or odor molecules with high binding affinities. However, few studies have investigated its effects on insect behavior. Previously, we found that AmelOBP4 has a significantly higher expression in the heads of foragers than that of nurses regardless of their ages, revealing its importance in foraging behaviour of the honey bee. RNA interference (RNAi) is the induction of sequence specific gene silencing by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), it is a powerful tool that makes gene inactivation possible in organisms that were not amenable to genetic analysis before.

resultsIn this study, we found that AmelOBP4 had high expression levels in the antennae of both nurses and foragers, and could be successfully inhibited by feeding double stranded RNA of AmelOBP4 (dsAmelOBP4). Foragers with inhibited AmelOBP4 showed significantly lower sugar responsiveness than control bees, and also significantly reduced EAG response to plant volatiles of nonanal, linalool and 1-Octen-3ol. On the other hand, nurses with inhibited AmelOBP4 showed significantly reduced EAG response to brood pheromone of ethyl oleate, methyl linoleate, methyl palmitate and β-ocimene. Finally, the Y-tube choice assay showed nurses only exhibited a significantly reduced preference to ethyl oleate, but foragers exhibited significantly reduced preference to all these three plant volatiles.

conclusionsThe findings of our study suggested that AmelOBP4 plays an important role in the odorant binding process, especially in modulating olfactory behaviour in workers. Our results provide a foundation for exploring the olfactory mechanism of Apis mellifera.

Indexed as

AmelOBP4Apis melliferaBehaviourRNAi

Identifiers

PMID39810219
PMCPMC11731170

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.