A new aldehyde oxidase selectively expressed in chemosensory organs of insects

Signal termination is a crucial step in the dynamic of the olfactory process. It involves different classes of odorant-degrading enzymes. Whereas aldehyde oxidase enzymatic activities have been demonstrated in insect antennae by previous biochemical studies, the corresponding enzymes have never been characterized at the molecular level. In the cabbage armyworm Mamestra brassicae, we isolated for the first time an aldehyde oxidase partial cDNA specifically expressed in chemosensory organs, with the strongest expression in antennae of both sexes. In these organs, expression was restricted to the olfactory sensilla. Our results suggest that the corresponding enzyme could degrade aldehyde odorant compounds, such as pheromones or plant's volatiles.