Do plants and insects utilize similar olfactory mechanisms?

Insects detect scents through olfactory sensory neurons in their antennas. Plants exploit this by emitting fragrant volatiles to attract them. When insects feed on plants, the plants release specific volatile compounds, which serve as molecular danger signals between plants. Neighboring plants respond by accumulating calcium ions and activating stress-responsive genes to be prepared for attack. While we know the olfactory receptors insects use to sense plant volatiles, we know little about the respective molecular mechanisms in plants. Recent studies identified a plant protein family, DUF3537, structurally resembling insect olfactory receptors, which suggests that plants might use similar chemosensory receptors. This project aims to explore the functional evolution of these proteins across plants and insects, and potentially uncovering plant olfaction mechanisms that still remain elusive.