2.4.1 Male adults stimulated by female adults
The new emerged virgin male and female adults (100 individuals per
replicate) were separately kept in two different artificial climate
cabinets (PXZ-430B, Ningbo Jiangnan Instrument Factory, China) for 3
days since eclosion. When male and female moths were at their mating
peak after 3 days, they were placed with 1:1 ratio in the same
artificial climate cabinet with a breathable barrier avoiding mating
(Fang, 2017) (Figure S1 A). After 2 h, the antennae of male adults were
collected and quickly frozen in the liquid nitrogen. Expression levels
of GmolCXEs in male antennae before and after female stimulation
were measured by qRT-PCR. The adults were fed with a 10% honey
solution. Three biological replicates were performed.