Jones TH, Chinta SP, Vander Meer RK, Cartwright KC. Branched tyramides from males of the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius.
THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2023;
110:57. [PMID:
38060057 DOI:
10.1007/s00114-023-01885-2]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Tyramides are produced in microgram quantities by males of species in the large Myrmicine ant sub-family (> 7000 species). Tyramides are transferred to female sexuals during mating where a specific female sexual evolved enzyme hydrolyzes the tyramides to the biogenic amine, tyramine. Tyramine is a ligand for receptors that rapidly activate reproductive development in the newly mated queen-previously reproductively inhibited by the mother queen. Without this elaborate biogenic amine precursor and co-evolved female sexual derived tyramide hydrolase, the defenseless newly mated queen's worker production would be delayed by up to 6 days, which could be lethal to the new queen. This is one of possibly several ant species separation mechanisms evolved to maintain species integrity. Here we report two methyl-branched tyramides from harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius, males, including one highly branched tyramide not previously reported.
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