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Jurenka R. Fatty Acid Origin of Insect Pheromones. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38874890 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2024_813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Pheromones are utilized to a great extent in insects. Many of these pheromones are biosynthesized through a pathway involving fatty acids. This chapter will provide examples where the biosynthetic pathways of fatty acid-derived pheromones have been studied in detail. These include pheromones from Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Hymenoptera. Many species of Lepidoptera utilize fatty acids as precursors to pheromones with a functional group that include aldehydes, alcohols, and acetate esters. In addition, the biosynthesis of hydrocarbons will be briefly examined because many insects utilize hydrocarbons or modified hydrocarbons as pheromones.
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2
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Gondim KC, Majerowicz D. Lipophorin: The Lipid Shuttle. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38874888 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2024_806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Insects need to transport lipids through the aqueous medium of the hemolymph to the organs in demand, after they are absorbed by the intestine or mobilized from the lipid-producing organs. Lipophorin is a lipoprotein present in insect hemolymph, and is responsible for this function. A single gene encodes an apolipoprotein that is cleaved to generate apolipophorin I and II. These are the essential protein constituents of lipophorin. In some physiological conditions, a third apolipoprotein of different origin may be present. In most insects, lipophorin transports mainly diacylglycerol and hydrocarbons, in addition to phospholipids. The fat body synthesizes and secretes lipophorin into the hemolymph, and several signals, such as nutritional, endocrine, or external agents, can regulate this process. However, the main characteristic of lipophorin is the fact that it acts as a reusable shuttle, distributing lipids between organs without being endocytosed or degraded in this process. Lipophorin interacts with tissues through specific receptors of the LDL receptor superfamily, although more recent results have shown that other proteins may also be involved. In this chapter, we describe the lipophorin structure in terms of proteins and lipids, in addition to reviewing what is known about lipoprotein synthesis and regulation. In addition, we reviewed the results investigating lipophorin's function in the movement of lipids between organs and the function of lipophorin receptors in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katia C Gondim
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - David Majerowicz
- Departamento de Biotecnologia Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Shi L, Liu X, Liu H, Shan S, Shen S, Bai M, Lan H, Khashaveh A, Gu S, Zhang Y. Knockout of the delta11-desaturase SfruDES1 disrupts sex pheromone biosynthesis, mating and oviposition in the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda. PESTICIDE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 200:105832. [PMID: 38582595 DOI: 10.1016/j.pestbp.2024.105832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Moth insects rely on sex pheromones for long distance attraction and searching for sex partners. The biosynthesis of moth sex pheromones involves the catalytic action of multiple enzymes, with desaturases playing a crucial role in the process of carbon chain desaturation. However, the specific desaturases involved in sex pheromone biosynthesis in fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, have not been clarified. In this study, a Δ11 desaturase (SfruDES1) gene in FAW was knocked out using the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system. A homozygous mutant of SfruDES1 was obtained through genetic crosses. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis results showed that the three main sex pheromone components (Z7-12:Ac, Z9-14:Ac, and Z11-16:Ac) and the three minor components (Z9-14:Ald, E11-14:Ac and Z11-14:Ac) of FAW were not detected in homozygous mutant females compared to the wild type. Furthermore, behavioral assay demonstrated that the loss of SfruDES1 resulted in a significant reduction in the attractiveness of females to males, along with disruptions in mating behavior and oviposition. Additionally, in a heterologous expression system, recombinant SfruDES1 could introduce a cis double bond at the Δ11 position in palmitic acid, which resulted in the changes in components of the synthesized products. These findings suggest desaturase plays a key role in the biosynthesis of sex pheromones, and knockout of the SfruDES1 disrupts sex pheromone biosynthesis and mating behavior in FAW. The SfruDES1 could serve as tool to develop a control method for S. frugiperda.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longfei Shi
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xiaohe Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Huaijing Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Shuang Shan
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Shi Shen
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; College of Agronomy & Reseources and Enviroment, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Minghui Bai
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; College of Plant Science &Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Hao Lan
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Adel Khashaveh
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Shaohua Gu
- College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yongjun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
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Cao S, Shi C, Wang B, Xiu P, Wang Y, Liu Y, Wang G. Evolutionary shifts in pheromone receptors contribute to speciation in four Helicoverpa species. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:199. [PMID: 37421463 PMCID: PMC11072504 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-04837-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Male moths utilize their pheromone communication systems to distinguish potential mates from other sympatric species, which contributes to maintaining reproductive isolation and even drives speciation. The molecular mechanisms underlying the evolution of pheromone communication systems are usually studied between closely-related moth species for their similar but divergent traits associated with pheromone production, detection, and/or processing. In this study, we first identified the functional differentiation in two orthologous pheromone receptors, OR14b, and OR16, in four Helicoverpa species, Helicoverpa armigera, H. assulta, H. zea, and H. gelotopoeon. To understand the substrate response specificity of these two PRs, we performed all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of OR14b and OR16 based on AlphaFold2 structural prediction, and molecular docking, allowing us to predict a few key amino acids involved in substrate binding. These candidate residues were further tested and validated by site-directed mutagenesis and functional analysis. These results together identified two hydrophobic amino acids at positions 164 and 232 are the determinants of the response specificity of HarmOR14b and HzeaOR14b to Z9-14:Ald and Z9-16:Ald by directly interacting with the substrates. Interestingly, in OR16 orthologs, we found that position 66 alone determines the specific binding of Z11-16:OH, likely via allosteric interactions. Overall, we have developed an effective integrated method to identify the critical residues for substrate selectivity of ORs and elucidated the molecular mechanism of the diversification of pheromone recognition systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Cao
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - Chen Shi
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Bing Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Peng Xiu
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Yong Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
- The Provincial International Science and Technology Cooperation Base On Engineering Biology, International Campus of Zhejiang University, Haining, 314499, China.
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China.
| | - Guirong Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China.
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, 518120, China.
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5
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Rebholz Z, Lancaster J, Larose H, Khrimian A, Luck K, Sparks ME, Gendreau KL, Shewade L, Köllner TG, Weber DC, Gundersen-Rindal DE, O'Maille P, Morozov AV, Tholl D. Ancient origin and conserved gene function in terpene pheromone and defense evolution of stink bugs and hemipteran insects. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 152:103879. [PMID: 36470318 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Insects use diverse arrays of small molecules such as metabolites of the large class of terpenes for intra- and inter-specific communication and defense. These molecules are synthesized by specialized metabolic pathways; however, the origin of enzymes involved in terpene biosynthesis and their evolution in insect genomes is still poorly understood. We addressed this question by investigating the evolution of isoprenyl diphosphate synthase (IDS)-like genes with terpene synthase (TPS) function in the family of stink bugs (Pentatomidae) within the large order of piercing-sucking Hemipteran insects. Stink bugs include species of global pest status, many of which emit structurally related 15-carbon sesquiterpenes as sex or aggregation pheromones. We provide evidence for the emergence of IDS-type TPS enzymes at the onset of pentatomid evolution over 100 million years ago, coinciding with the evolution of flowering plants. Stink bugs of different geographical origin maintain small IDS-type families with genes of conserved TPS function, which stands in contrast to the diversification of TPS genes in plants. Expanded gene mining and phylogenetic analysis in other hemipteran insects further provides evidence for an ancient emergence of IDS-like genes under presumed selection for terpene-mediated chemical interactions, and this process occurred independently from a similar evolution of IDS-type TPS genes in beetles. Our findings further suggest differences in TPS diversification in insects and plants in conjunction with different modes of gene functionalization in chemical interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zarley Rebholz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Latham Hall, 220 Ag Quad Lane, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Jason Lancaster
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Latham Hall, 220 Ag Quad Lane, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Hailey Larose
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Latham Hall, 220 Ag Quad Lane, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Ashot Khrimian
- Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Katrin Luck
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Strasse 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Michael E Sparks
- Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Kerry L Gendreau
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Latham Hall, 220 Ag Quad Lane, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Leena Shewade
- SRI International, Biosciences Division, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park, CA, 94025-3493, USA
| | - Tobias G Köllner
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Strasse 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Donald C Weber
- Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Dawn E Gundersen-Rindal
- Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Paul O'Maille
- SRI International, Biosciences Division, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park, CA, 94025-3493, USA
| | - Alexandre V Morozov
- Department of Physics & Astronomy and Center for Quantitative Biology, Rutgers University, 136 Frelinghuysen Rd., Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8019, USA
| | - Dorothea Tholl
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Latham Hall, 220 Ag Quad Lane, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
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6
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Epoxides: Developability as Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Biochemical Probes. Bioorg Chem 2022; 125:105862. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2022.105862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Sprenger PP, Gerbes LJ, Sahm J, Menzel F. Cuticular hydrocarbon profiles differ between ant body parts: implications for communication and our understanding of CHC diffusion. Curr Zool 2021; 67:531-540. [PMID: 34616951 PMCID: PMC8489164 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) serve as communication signals and protect against desiccation. They form complex blends of up to 150 different compounds. Due to differences in molecular packing, CHC classes differ in melting point. Communication is especially important in social insects like ants, which use CHCs to communicate within the colony and to recognize nestmates. Nestmate recognition models often assume a homogenous colony odor, where CHCs are collected, mixed, and redistributed in the postpharyngeal gland (PPG). Via diffusion, recognition cues should evenly spread over the body surface. Hence, CHC composition should be similar across body parts and in the PPG. To test this, we compared CHC composition among whole-body extracts, PPG, legs, thorax, and gaster, across 17 ant species from 3 genera. Quantitative CHC composition differed between body parts, with consistent patterns across species and CHC classes. Early-melting CHC classes were most abundant in the PPG. In contrast, whole body, gaster, thorax, and legs had increasing proportions of CHC classes with higher melting points. Intraindividual CHC variation was highest for rather solid, late-melting CHC classes, suggesting that CHCs differ in their diffusion rates across the body surface. Our results show that body parts strongly differ in CHC composition, either being rich in rather solid, late-melting, or rather liquid, early-melting CHCs. This implies that recognition cues are not homogenously present across the insect body. However, the unequal diffusion of different CHCs represents a biophysical mechanism that enables caste differences despite continuous CHC exchange among colony members.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp P Sprenger
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, Mainz, 55128, Germany
| | - Lisa J Gerbes
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, Mainz, 55128, Germany
| | - Jacqueline Sahm
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, Mainz, 55128, Germany.,Department of Evolutionary Animal Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, Bayreuth, 95477, Germany
| | - Florian Menzel
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, Mainz, 55128, Germany
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8
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Blomquist GJ, Ginzel MD. Chemical Ecology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology of Insect Hydrocarbons. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 66:45-60. [PMID: 33417824 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-031620-071754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) consist of complex mixtures of straight-chain alkanes and alkenes, and methyl-branched hydrocarbons. In addition to restricting water loss through the cuticle and preventing desiccation, they have secondarily evolved to serve a variety of functions in chemical communication and play critical roles as signals mediating the life histories of insects. In this review, we describe the physical properties of CHCs that allow for both waterproofing and signaling functions, summarize their roles as inter- and intraspecific chemical signals, and discuss the influences of diet and environment on CHC profiles. We also present advances in our understanding of hydrocarbon biosynthesis. Hydrocarbons are biosynthesized in oenocytes and transported to the cuticle by lipophorin proteins. Recent work on the synthesis of fatty acids and their ultimate reductive decarbonylation to hydrocarbons has taken advantage of powerful new tools of molecular biology, including genomics and RNA interference knockdown of specific genes, to provide new insights into the biosynthesis of hydrocarbons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary J Blomquist
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA;
| | - Matthew D Ginzel
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA;
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
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9
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Ando T, Yamamoto M. Semiochemicals containing lepidopteran sex pheromones: Wonderland for a natural product chemist. JOURNAL OF PESTICIDE SCIENCE 2020; 45:191-205. [PMID: 33304188 PMCID: PMC7691580 DOI: 10.1584/jpestics.d20-046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Since the first identification of bombykol, sex pheromones of about 700 moth species have been elucidated. Additionally, field evaluations of synthetic pheromones and their related compounds have revealed the male attraction of another 1,300 species. These pheromones and attractants are listed on the web-sites, "Pheromone Database, Part I." Pheromone components are classified according to their chemical structures into two major groups (Types I and II) and miscellaneous. Based on our previous review published in 2004, studies reported during the last two decades are highlighted here to provide information on the structure characteristics of newly identified pheromones, current techniques for structure determination, new enantioselective syntheses of methyl-branched pheromones, and the progress of biosynthetic research. Besides the moth sex pheromones, various pheromones and allomones from many arthropod species have been uncovered. These semiochemicals are being collected in the "Pheromone Database, Part II." The chemical diversity provides a wonderland for natural product chemists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsu Ando
- Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
| | - Masanobu Yamamoto
- Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
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Qiao JW, Fan YL, Wu BJ, Wang D, Liu TX. Involvement of apolipoprotein D in desiccation tolerance and adult fecundity of Acyrthosiphon pisum. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 127:104160. [PMID: 33137328 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2020.104160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Apolipoprotein D (ApoD) is a lipocalin superfamily member that plays important roles in the transport of small hydrophobic molecules, lipid metabolism, and stress resistance. Cuticular hydrocarbons are the principal components of the epicuticular lipid layer and play a critical role in water retention against environmental desiccation stress; however, the mechanism underlying the role of ApoD in insect desiccation tolerance has not yet been elucidated. Here, we report the molecular constitution, functional analysis, and phylogenetic relationship of the ApoD gene in Acyrthosiphon pisum (ApApoD). We found that ApApoD was transcribed throughout the life cycle of A. pisum, but was prominently expressed in the embryonic period and abdominal cuticle. In addition, we optimized the dose and silencing duration of RNAi, observing that RNAi against ApApoD significantly reduced the levels of both internal and cuticular hydrocarbons and adult fecundity. Moreover, cuticular hydrocarbon deficiency increased the sensitivity of aphids to desiccation stress and reduced their survival time, while desiccation stress significantly increased ApApoD expression. Together, it is confirmed that ApApoD participates in regulating cuticular hydrocarbon content of aphids under desiccation stress and is crucial for aphid reproduction. Therefore, the ApApoD gene of A. pisum may be a potential target for RNAi-based insect pest control due to its involvement in cuticular hydrocarbon accumulation and reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian-Wen Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
| | - Yong-Liang Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
| | - Bing-Jin Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
| | - Dun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
| | - Tong-Xian Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
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11
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Abstract
Diverse syntheses of disparlure and its stereoisomers and analogues encompassing various strategies are compiled in this perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodney A. Fernandes
- Department of Chemistry
- Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Powai
- Mumbai 400076
- India
| | - Naveen Chandra
- Department of Chemistry
- Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Powai
- Mumbai 400076
- India
| | - Ashvin J. Gangani
- Department of Chemistry
- Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Powai
- Mumbai 400076
- India
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12
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An IDS-Type Sesquiterpene Synthase Produces the Pheromone Precursor (Z)-α-Bisabolene in Nezara viridula. J Chem Ecol 2018; 45:187-197. [PMID: 30267360 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-018-1019-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Insects use a wide range of structurally diverse pheromones for intra-specific communication. Compounds in the class of terpenes are emitted as sex, aggregation, alarm, or trail pheromones. Despite the common occurrence of terpene pheromones in different insect lineages, their origin from dietary host plant precursors or de novo biosynthetic pathways often remains unknown. Several stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) release bisabolene-type sesquiterpenes for aggregation and mating. Here we provide evidence for de novo biosynthesis of the sex pheromone trans-/cis-(Z)-α-bisabolene epoxide of the Southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula. We show that an enzyme (NvTPS) related to isoprenyl diphosphate synthases (IDSs) of the core terpene metabolic pathway functions as a terpene synthase (TPS), which converts the general intermediate (E,E)-farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) to the putative pheromone precursor (+)-(S,Z)-α-bisabolene in vitro and in protein lysates. A second identified IDS-type protein (NvFPPS) makes the TPS substrate (E,E)-FPP and functions as a bona fide FPP synthase. NvTPS is highly expressed in male epidermal tissue associated with the cuticle of ventral sternites, which is in agreement with the male specific release of the pheromone from glandular cells in this tissue. Our study supports findings of the function of similar TPS enzymes in the biosynthesis of aggregation pheromones from the pine engraver beetle Ips pini, the striped flea beetle Phyllotreta striolata, and the harlequin bug Murgantia histrionica, and hence provides growing evidence for the evolution of terpene de novo biosynthesis by IDS-type TPS families in insects.
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Tupec M, Buček A, Valterová I, Pichová I. Biotechnological potential of insect fatty acid-modifying enzymes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 72:387-403. [PMID: 28742527 DOI: 10.1515/znc-2017-0031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
There are more than one million described insect species. This species richness is reflected in the diversity of insect metabolic processes. In particular, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, such as defensive compounds and chemical signals, encompasses an extraordinarily wide range of chemicals that are generally unparalleled among natural products from other organisms. Insect genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes thus offer a valuable resource for discovery of novel enzymes with potential for biotechnological applications. Here, we focus on fatty acid (FA) metabolism-related enzymes, notably the fatty acyl desaturases and fatty acyl reductases involved in the biosynthesis of FA-derived pheromones. Research on insect pheromone-biosynthetic enzymes, which exhibit diverse enzymatic properties, has the potential to broaden the understanding of enzyme specificity determinants and contribute to engineering of enzymes with desired properties for biotechnological production of FA derivatives. Additionally, the application of such pheromone-biosynthetic enzymes represents an environmentally friendly and economic alternative to the chemical synthesis of pheromones that are used in insect pest management strategies.
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14
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Abstract
Insect pheromones are some of the most interesting natural products because they are utilized for interspecific communication between various insects, such as beetles, moths, ants, and cockroaches. A large number of compounds of many kinds have been identified as pheromone components, reflecting the diversity of insect species. While this review deals only with chiral methyl-branched pheromones, the chemical structures of more than one hundred non-terpene compounds have been determined by applying excellent analytical techniques. Furthermore, their stereoselective syntheses have been achieved by employing trustworthy chiral sources and ingenious enantioselective reactions. The information has been reviewed here not only to make them available for new research but also to understand the characteristic chemical structures of the chiral pheromones. Since biosynthetic studies are still limited, it might be meaningful to examine whether the structures, particularly the positions and configurations of the branched methyl groups, are correlated with the taxonomy of the pheromone producers and also with the function of the pheromones in communication systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsu Ando
- Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
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15
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Wang HL, Brattström O, Brakefield PM, Francke W, Löfstedt C. Identification and biosynthesis of novel male specific esters in the wings of the tropical butterfly, Bicyclus martius sanaos. J Chem Ecol 2014; 40:549-59. [PMID: 24894159 PMCID: PMC4090810 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-014-0452-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2014] [Revised: 05/13/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Representatives of the highly speciose tropical butterfly genus Bicyclus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) are characterized by morphological differences in the male androconia, a set of scales and hair pencils located on the surface of the wings. These androconia are assumed to be associated with the release of courtship pheromones. In the present study, we report the identification and biosynthetic pathways of several novel esters from the wings of male B. martius sanaos. We found that the volatile compounds in this male butterfly were similar to female-produced moth sex pheromones. Components associated with the male wing androconial areas were identified as ethyl, isobutyl and 2-phenylethyl hexadecanoates and (11Z)-11-hexadecenoates, among which the latter are novel natural products. By topical application of deuterium-labelled fatty acid and amino acid precursors, we found these pheromone candidates to be produced in patches located on the forewings of the males. Deuterium labels from hexadecanoic acid were incorporated into (11Z)-11-hexadecenoic acid, providing experimental evidence of a Δ11-desaturase being active in butterflies. This unusual desaturase was found previously to be involved in the biosynthesis of female-produced sex pheromones of moths. In the male butterflies, both hexadecanoic acid and (11Z)-11-hexadecenoic acid were then enzymatically esterified to form the ethyl, isobutyl and 2-phenylethyl esters, incorporating ethanol, isobutanol, and 2-phenylethanol, derived from the corresponding amino acids L-alanine, L-valine, and L-phenylalanine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Lei Wang
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62, Lund, Sweden,
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16
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Abstract
Oenocytes have intrigued insect physiologists since the nineteenth century. Many years of careful but mostly descriptive research on these cells highlights their diverse sizes, numbers, and anatomical distributions across Insecta. Contemporary molecular genetic studies in Drosophila melanogaster and Tribolium castaneum support the hypothesis that oenocytes are of ectodermal origin. They also suggest that, in both short and long germ-band species, oenocytes are induced from a Spalt major/Engrailed ectodermal zone by MAPK signaling. Recent glimpses into some of the physiological functions of oenocytes indicate that they involve fatty acid and hydrocarbon metabolism. Genetic studies in D. melanogaster have shown that larval oenocytes synthesize very-long-chain fatty acids required for tracheal waterproofing and that adult oenocytes produce cuticular hydrocarbons required for desiccation resistance and pheromonal communication. Exciting areas of future research include the evolution of oenocytes and their cross talk with other tissues involved in lipid metabolism such as the fat body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rami Makki
- Division of Physiology and Metabolism, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Medical Research, London, NW7 1AA, United Kingdom;
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17
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Wang HL, Zhao CH, Szöcs G, Chinta SP, Schulz S, Löfstedt C. Biosynthesis and PBAN-regulated transport of pheromone polyenes in the winter moth, Operophtera brumata. J Chem Ecol 2013; 39:790-6. [PMID: 23665955 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-013-0292-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2013] [Revised: 03/11/2013] [Accepted: 04/03/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The trienoic and tetraenoic polyenes, (3Z,6Z,9Z)-3,6,9-nonadecatriene, (3Z,6Z,9Z)-3,6,9-henicosatriene, and (3Z,6Z,9Z)-1,3,6,9-henicosatetraene were found in the abdominal cuticle and pheromone gland of the winter moth Operophtera brumata L. (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), in addition to the previously identified single component sex pheromone (3Z,6Z,9Z)-1,3,6,9-nonadecatetraene. The pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) is involved in the regulation of polyene transport from abdominal cuticle to the pheromone gland. In vivo deuterium labeling experiments showed that (11Z,14Z,17Z)-11,14,17-icosatrienoic acid, the malonate elongation product of linolenic acid, (9Z,12Z,15Z)-9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid, is used to produce (3Z,6Z,9Z)-3,6,9-nonadecatriene and (3Z,6Z,9Z)-1,3,6,9-nonadecatetraene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Lei Wang
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
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18
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Raffa RB, Raffa KF. Potential insight for drug discovery from high fidelity receptor-mediated transduction mechanisms in insects. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2011; 6:1091-1101. [PMID: 21984882 DOI: 10.1517/17460441.2011.611497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: There is a pervasive and growing concern about the small number of new pharmaceutical agents. There are many proposed explanations for this trend that do not involve the drug-discovery process per se, but the discovery process itself has also come under scrutiny. If the current paradigms are indeed not working, where are novel ideas to come from? Perhaps it is time to look to novel sources. AREAS COVERED: The receptor-signaling and 2(nd)-messenger transduction processes present in insects are quite similar to those in mammals (involving G proteins, ion channels, etc.). However, a review of these systems reveals an unprecedented degree of high potency and receptor selectivity to an extent greater than that modeled in most current drug-discovery approaches. EXPERT OPINION: A better understanding of insect receptor pharmacology could stimulate novel theoretical and practical ideas in mammalian pharmacology (drug discovery) and, conversely, the application of pharmacology and medicinal chemistry principles could stimulate novel advances in entomology (safer and more targeted control of pest species).
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert B Raffa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Temple University School of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
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19
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Ding BJ, Liénard MA, Wang HL, Zhao CH, Löfstedt C. Terminal fatty-acyl-CoA desaturase involved in sex pheromone biosynthesis in the winter moth (Operophtera brumata). INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2011; 41:715-722. [PMID: 21651981 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2011.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2011] [Revised: 05/16/2011] [Accepted: 05/16/2011] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The winter moth (Operophtera brumata L., Lepidoptera: Geometridae) utilizes a single hydrocarbon, 1,Z3,Z6,Z9-nonadecatetraene, as its sex pheromone. We tested the hypothesis that a fatty acid precursor, Z11,Z14,Z17,19-nonadecanoic acid, is biosynthesized from α-linolenic acid, through chain elongation by one 2-carbon unit, and subsequent methyl-terminus desaturation. Our results show that labeled α-linolenic acid is indeed incorporated into the pheromone component in vivo. A fatty-acyl-CoA desaturase gene that we found to be expressed in the abdominal epidermal tissue, the presumed site of biosynthesis for type II pheromones, was characterized and expressed heterologously in a yeast system. The transgenic yeast expressing this insect derived gene could convert Z11,Z14,Z17-eicosatrienoic acid into Z11,Z14,Z17,19-eicosatetraenoic acid. These results provide evidence that a terminal desaturation step is involved in the winter moth pheromone biosynthesis, prior to the decarboxylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bao-Jian Ding
- Functional Zoology, Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, SE-22362 Lund, Sweden.
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20
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Qian S, Fujii T, Ito K, Nakano R, Ishikawa Y. Cloning and functional characterization of a fatty acid transport protein (FATP) from the pheromone gland of a lichen moth, Eilema japonica, which secretes an alkenyl sex pheromone. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2011; 41:22-28. [PMID: 20875854 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2010.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2010] [Revised: 09/15/2010] [Accepted: 09/17/2010] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Sex pheromones of moths are largely classified into two types based on the presence (Type I) or absence (Type II) of a terminal functional group. While Type-I sex pheromones are synthesized from common fatty acids in the pheromone gland (PG), Type-II sex pheromones are derived from hydrocarbons produced presumably in the oenocytes and transported to the PG via the hemolymph. Recently, a fatty acid transport protein (BmFATP) was identified from the PG of the silkworm Bombyx mori, which produces a Type-I sex pheromone (bombykol). BmFATP was shown to facilitate the uptake of extracellular fatty acids into PG cells for the synthesis of bombykol. To elucidate the presence and function of FATP in the PG of moths that produce Type-II sex pheromones, we explored fatp homologues expressed in the PG of a lichen moth, Eilema japonica, which secretes an alkenyl sex pheromone (Type II). A fatp homologue cloned from E. japonica (Ejfatp) was predominantly expressed in the PG, and its expression is upregulated shortly after eclosion. Functional expression of EjFATP in Escherichia coli enhanced the uptake of long chain fatty acids (C₁₈ and C₂₀), but not pheromone precursor hydrocarbons. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the cloning and functional characterization of a FATP in the PG of a moth producing a Type-II sex pheromone. Although EjFATP is not likely to be involved in the uptake of pheromone precursors in E. japonica, the expression pattern of Ejfatp suggests a role for EjFATP in the PG not directly linked to pheromone biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuguang Qian
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
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21
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Fujii T, Nakano R, Takubo Y, Qian S, Yamakawa R, Ando T, Ishikawa Y. Female sex pheromone of a lichen moth Eilema japonica (Arctiidae, Lithosiinae): components and control of production. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2010; 56:1986-1991. [PMID: 20826159 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2010.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2010] [Revised: 08/27/2010] [Accepted: 08/27/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Seven candidates for components of the female sex pheromone of Eilema japonica (Arctiidae, Lithosiinae) were detected in an extract of pheromone glands with a gas chromatograph-electroantennographic detector. The compounds were identified as (Z,Z)-6,9-icosadiene (D20), (Z,Z)-6,9-henicosadiene (D21), (Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9-henicosatriene (T21), (Z,Z)-6,9-docosadiene (D22), (Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9-docosatriene (T22), (Z,Z)-6,9-tricosadiene (D23), and (Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9-tricosatriene (T23). Assays using synthetic lures in a wind tunnel showed that D21 (proportion, 0.39), T21 (0.08), D22 (0.27), and T22 (0.26) are important for evoking full behavioral responses from the males. Titers of the pheromone components did not show clear temporal fluctuations. Moreover, decapitation of the female moth had no effect on the titers of pheromone components in the pheromone gland, suggesting that cephalic endocrine factors such as pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) are not involved in the control of pheromone biosynthesis in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Fujii
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
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22
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Wang HL, Zhao CH, Millar JG, Cardé RT, Löfstedt C. Biosynthesis of unusual moth pheromone components involves two different pathways in the navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella. J Chem Ecol 2010; 36:535-47. [PMID: 20393784 PMCID: PMC2866370 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-010-9777-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2009] [Revised: 01/04/2010] [Accepted: 03/12/2010] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The sex pheromone of the navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), consists of two different types of components, one type including (11Z,13Z)-11,13-hexadecadienal (11Z,13Z-16:Ald) with a terminal functional group containing oxygen, similar to the majority of moth pheromones reported, and another type including the unusual long-chain pentaenes, (3Z,6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z)-3,6,9,12,15-tricosapentaene (3Z,6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z-23:H) and (3Z,6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z)- 3,6,9,12,15-pentacosapentaene (3Z,6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z-25:H). After decapitation of females, the titer of 11Z,13Z-16:Ald in the pheromone gland decreased significantly, whereas the titer of the pentaenes remained unchanged. Injection of a pheromone biosynthesis activating peptide (PBAN) into the abdomens of decapitated females restored the titer of 11Z,13Z-16:Ald and even increased it above that in intact females, whereas the titer of the pentaenes in the pheromone gland was not affected by PBAN injection. In addition to common fatty acids, two likely precursors of 11Z,13Z-16:Ald, i.e., (Z)-11-hexadecenoic and (11Z,13Z)-11,13-hexadecadienoic acid, as well as traces of (Z)-6-hexadecenoic acid, were found in gland extracts. In addition, pheromone gland lipids contained (5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z,17Z)-5,8,11,14,17-icosapentaenoic acid, which also was found in extracts of the rest of the abdomen. Deuterium-labeled fatty acids, (16,16,16-D(3))-hexadecanoic acid and (Z)-[13,13,14,14,15,15,16,16,16-D(9)]-11-hexadecenoic acid, were incorporated into 11Z,13Z-16:Ald after topical application to the sex pheromone gland coupled with abdominal injection of PBAN. Deuterium label was incorporated into the C(23) and C(25) pentaenes after injection of (9Z,12Z,15Z)- [17,17,18,18,18-D(5)]-9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid into 1-2 d old female pupae. These labeling results, in conjunction with the composition of fatty acid intermediates found in pheromone gland extracts, support different pathways leading to the two pheromone components. 11Z,13Z-16:Ald is probably produced in the pheromone gland by Delta11 desaturation of palmitic acid to 11Z-16:Acid followed by a second desaturation to form 11Z,13Z-16:Acid and subsequent reduction and oxidation. The production of 3Z,6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z-23:H and 3Z,6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z-25:H may take place outside the pheromone gland, and appears to start from linolenic acid, which is elongated and desaturated to form (5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z,17Z)-5,8,11,14,17-icosapentaenoic acid, followed by two or three further elongation steps and finally reductive decarboxylation.
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Key Words
- sex pheromone
- biosynthesis
- amyelois transitella
- linolenic acid
- (5z,8z,11z,14z,17z)-5,8,11,14,17-icosapentaenoic acid
- (3z, 6z, 9z, 12z, 15z)-3,6,9,12,15-tricosapentaene
- (11z,13z)-11,13-hexadecadienal
- bifunctional ∆11 desaturase
- pban
- pyralidae
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Lei Wang
- Department of Ecology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Cheng-Hua Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Jocelyn G. Millar
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521 USA
| | - Ring T. Cardé
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521 USA
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Matsuoka K, Yamamoto M, Yamakawa R, Muramatsu M, Naka H, Kondo Y, Ando T. Identification of novel C(20) and C (22) trienoic acids from arctiid and geometrid female moths that produce polyenyl Type II Sex pheromone components. J Chem Ecol 2008; 34:1437-45. [PMID: 18839254 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-008-9530-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2008] [Revised: 07/14/2008] [Accepted: 07/30/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and GC-electroantennographic detection (EAD) analyses of the sex pheromone extract from a wasp moth, Syntomoides imaon (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae: Syntominae), showed that virgin females produced (Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9-henicosatriene and (Z,Z,Z)-1,3,6,9-henicosatetraene with a trace amount of their C(20) analogs. Identification of the chemical structures was facilitated by comparison with authentic standards and the double-bond positions were confirmed by dimethyl disulfide derivatization of monoenes produced by a diimide reduction. In a field test in the Yonaguni-jima Islands, males of the diurnal species were captured in traps baited with a 1:2 mixture of the above-described synthetic C(21) polyenes. Lipids were extracted from the abdominal integument and its associated oenocytes and peripheral fat bodies. Following derivatization, fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were fractionated by HPLC equipped with an ODS column, and methyl (Z,Z,Z)-11,14,17-icosatrienoate and (Z,Z,Z)-13,16,19-docosatrienoate were identified by GC-MS. These novel C(20) and C(22) acid moieties are longer-chain analogs of linolenic acid, (Z,Z,Z)-9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid. They are presumed to be biosynthetic precursors of the S. imaon pheromone because the C(21) trienyl component might be formed by decarboxylation of the C(22) acid. On the other hand, the C(20) acid, but not the C(22) acid, was found in FAMEs of Ascotis selenaria cretacea (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), which secretes C(19) pheromone components, (Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9-nonadecatriene and the monoepoxy derivative, indicating that different systems of the chain elongation might play an important role in developing species-specific communication systems mediated with polyunsaturated hydrocarbons and/or epoxy derivatives, components of Type II lepidopteran sex pheromones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanae Matsuoka
- Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering (BASE), Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
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24
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Tsfadia O, Azrielli A, Falach L, Zada A, Roelofs W, Rafaeli A. Pheromone biosynthetic pathways: PBAN-regulated rate-limiting steps and differential expression of desaturase genes in moth species. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2008; 38:552-567. [PMID: 18405833 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2008.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2007] [Revised: 01/21/2008] [Accepted: 01/26/2008] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
We combine the use of labeled precursors with enzyme inhibitors to decipher the biosynthetic pathway of pheromone biosynthesis and the rate-limiting step/s that are regulated by pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN). We demonstrate that Plodia interpunctella is able to utilize hexadecanoic acid, and to a lesser extent tetradecanoic acid, for the biosynthesis of the main pheromone component (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadienyl acetate. This indicated that the main pathway involves a Delta11 desaturase, chain shortening, followed by a Delta12 desaturase, but that a functional Delta9 desaturase could also be utilized. Using reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-QPCR) we distinguish two out of nine possible desaturase gene transcripts in P. interpunctella that are expressed at the highest levels. The rate-limiting step for PBAN-stimulation was studied in two moth species so as to compare the biosynthesis of a diene (P. interpunctella) and a monoene (Helicoverpa armigera) main pheromone component. In both species, incorporation of label from the (13)C sodium acetate precursor was activated by PBAN whereas no stimulatory action was observed in the incorporation of the precursors: (13)C malonyl coenzyme A; hexadecanoic 16,16,16-(2)H(3) or tetradecanoic 14,14,14-(2)H(3) acids. The acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase) inhibitor, Tralkoxydim, inhibited the PBAN-stimulation of incorporation of stable isotope whereas the fatty-acyl reductase inhibitor, Mevastatin, failed to influence the stimulatory action of PBAN. These results provide irrefutable support to the hypothesis that PBAN affects the production of malonyl coenzyme A from acetate by the action of ACCase in the pheromone glands of these moths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oren Tsfadia
- Institute for Technology and Storage of Agricultural Products, ARO, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
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25
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Choi MY, Lim H, Park KC, Adlof R, Wang S, Zhang A, Jurenka R. Identification and biosynthetic studies of the hydrocarbon sex pheromone in Utetheisa ornatrix. J Chem Ecol 2008; 33:1336-45. [PMID: 17510777 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-007-9306-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2006] [Revised: 03/16/2007] [Accepted: 04/30/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The type II class of sex pheromones found in moths is composed of polyene hydrocarbons and their epoxides. Analysis of Utetheisa ornatrix females by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and measurement of responses of male moths by coupled gas chromatography-electroantennogram detection confirmed the presence of large amounts of (Z,Z,Z)-1,3,6,9-heneicosatetraene (1,3,6,9-21:Hy) and smaller amounts of (Z,Z, Z)-3,6,9-heneicosatriene (3,6,9-21:Hy). Both compounds were detected in pheromone glands of newly emerged adults, with low amounts found in the late pupal stage, indicating that sex pheromone biosynthesis started in the late pupal stage. In our population of females (several hundred sampled), approximately 90% produced the tetraene, 1,3,6,9-21:Hy, as the major component, while the other 10% produced only a large amount (1500-2000 ng) of 3,6,9-21:Hy, with no detectable amount of the tetraene. This result could indicate that two distinct populations are present in our original collection site in Florida. Decapitated female moths accumulated 3,6,9-21:Hy and 1,3,6,9-21:Hy compared to the same age normal females, indicating that female moths continuously produce pheromone. A pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN)-like neuropeptide did not affect sex pheromone production as indicated by injection of synthetic PBAN and decapitation of U. ornatrix female adults. When the labeled precursor, D4-9,12,15-18:acid, was injected into the early pupal stage, the most abundantly labeled hydrocarbons were 3,6,9-21:Hy and 1,3,6,9-21:Hy in the female adults. This result indicated that 3,6,9-21:Hy could be biosynthesized from linolenic acid through chain elongation and decarboxylation. To determine how 1,3,6,9-21:Hy is produced, D4-3,6,9-21:Hy was injected into pupae and monitored for incorporation of label. No label was incorporated into 1,3,6,9-21:Hy, although a large amount of triene, 3,6,9-21 :Hy, was recovered in the pheromone gland. This indicates that U. ornatrix females do not use 3,6,9-21:Hy to produce 1,3,6,9-21:Hy, and the terminal double bond is introduced earlier in the biosynthetic pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man-Yeon Choi
- Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
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26
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Serra M, Piña B, Abad JL, Camps F, Fabriàs G. A multifunctional desaturase involved in the biosynthesis of the processionary moth sex pheromone. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104:16444-9. [PMID: 17921252 PMCID: PMC2034215 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0705385104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The sex pheromone of the female processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa, is a unique C16 enyne acetate that is biosynthesized from palmitic acid. Three consecutive desaturation reactions transform this saturated precursor into the triunsaturated fatty acyl intermediate: formation of (Z)-11-hexadecenoic acid, acetylenation to 11-hexadecynoic acid, and final Delta(13) desaturation to (Z)-13-hexadecen-11-ynoic acid. By using degenerate primers common to all reported insect desaturases, a single cDNA sequence was isolated from total RNA of T. pityocampa female pheromone glands. The full-length transcript of this putative desaturase was expressed in elo1Delta/ole1Delta yeast mutants (both elongase 1 and Delta(9) desaturase-deficient) for functional assays. The construct fully rescued the Deltaole1 yeast phenotype, confirming its desaturase activity. Analysis of the unsaturated products from transformed yeast extracts demonstrated that the cloned enzyme showed Delta(11) desaturase, Delta(11) acetylenase, and Delta(13) desaturase activities. Therefore, this single desaturase may account for the three desaturation steps involved in the sex pheromone biosynthetic pathway of the processionary moth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Montserrat Serra
- *Research Unit on BioActive Molecules (RUBAM), Departament de Química Orgànica Biològica, Institut d'Investigacions Químiques i Ambientals de Barcelona, and
| | - Benjamin Piña
- Departament de Biologia Molecular i Cellular, Institut de Biologia Molecular i Cellular de Barcelona, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - José Luis Abad
- *Research Unit on BioActive Molecules (RUBAM), Departament de Química Orgànica Biològica, Institut d'Investigacions Químiques i Ambientals de Barcelona, and
| | - Francisco Camps
- *Research Unit on BioActive Molecules (RUBAM), Departament de Química Orgànica Biològica, Institut d'Investigacions Químiques i Ambientals de Barcelona, and
| | - Gemma Fabriàs
- *Research Unit on BioActive Molecules (RUBAM), Departament de Química Orgànica Biològica, Institut d'Investigacions Químiques i Ambientals de Barcelona, and
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Herzner G, Goettler W, Kroiss J, Purea A, Webb AG, Jakob PM, Rössler W, Strohm E. Males of a solitary wasp possess a postpharyngeal gland. ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2007; 36:123-133. [PMID: 18089093 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2006.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2006] [Revised: 08/18/2006] [Accepted: 08/24/2006] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The postpharyngeal gland has long been thought to occur only in ants. Here we characterize, by use of light and electron microscopy as well as 3D reconstruction based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging data, a large cephalic gland reservoir of males of a solitary digger wasp, the European beewolf, Philanthus triangulum. Several lines of evidence suggest that this reservoir is a postpharyngeal gland. The gland reservoir originates from the posterior part of the pharynx and consists of two pairs of unbranched tubular structures that occupy a large portion of the head capsule. Its wall is composed of a unicellular epithelium that is lined by a cuticle. The gland contains a blend of hydrocarbons and compounds with functional groups, and we show that the hydrocarbon fraction of the pheromone is congruent with the hydrocarbons on the cuticle. We discuss the implications of our findings for the evolution of the postpharyngeal gland in ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gudrun Herzner
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Biozentrum, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany.
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Kah-Wei Hee A, Tan KH. Transport of methyl eugenol-derived sex pheromonal components in the male fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2006; 143:422-8. [PMID: 16750428 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2006.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2005] [Revised: 04/05/2006] [Accepted: 04/11/2006] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Males of Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) are attracted strongly to and feed compulsively on methyl eugenol (1,2-dimethoxy- 4 -(2-propenyl)benzene), a highly potent male attractant. Pharmacophagy of methyl eugenol results in the production of phenylpropanoids 2-allyl-4,5-dimethoxyphenol and (E)-coniferyl alcohol that are sequestered and stored in the rectal gland prior to release as sex pheromonal components during mating at dusk. While these pheromonal components have also been detected in the hemolymph and crop of methyl eugenol-fed males, there is currently little information on the transport of these compounds from the crop to rectal gland in male B. dorsalis. Therefore, using physiological techniques such as parabiosis, rectal gland transplantation and hemolymph transfusion coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses, we were able to ascertain and confirm the role of the hemolymph in the transport of these sex pheromonal components from the crop to the rectal gland. Further, the temporal profile of these methyl eugenol-derived bioactive compounds in the hemolymph also shows an increase with time post-methyl eugenol-feeding, i.e., 2-allyl-4,5-dimethoxyphenol attaining maximum amounts 15 min after ME consumption and decreasing thereafter, while for (E)-coniferyl alcohol-the increase and decrease are more gradual. These results further demonstrate the ability of insect hemolymph to transport many diverse forms of bioactive molecules including attractant-derived sex pheromonal components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvin Kah-Wei Hee
- School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia.
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Le Conte Y, Bécard JM, Costagliola G, de Vaublanc G, El Maâtaoui M, Crauser D, Plettner E, Slessor KN. Larval salivary glands are a source of primer and releaser pheromone in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.). Naturwissenschaften 2006; 93:237-41. [PMID: 16541233 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-006-0089-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2005] [Accepted: 01/10/2006] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
A brood pheromone identified in honeybee larvae has primer and releaser pheromone effects on adult bees. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to evaluate fatty acid esters--the pheromonal compounds--in different parts of the larvae, we have localized the source of the esters as the larval salivary glands. A histochemical study describes the glands and confirms the presence of lipids in the glands. Epithelial cells of the gland likely secrete the fatty acids into the lumen of the gland. These results demonstrate the salivary glands to be a reservoir of esters, components of brood pheromone, in honeybee larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yves Le Conte
- UMR INRA/UAPV Ecologie des Invertébrés, Laboratoire Biologie et Protection de l'abeille, Site Agroparc, Domaine Saint-Paul, 84914 Avignon Cedex 9, France.
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Bau J, Justus KA, Loudon C, Cardé RT. Electroantennographic resolution of pulsed pheromone plumes in two species of moths with bipectinate antennae. Chem Senses 2005; 30:771-80. [PMID: 16267163 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bji069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Trains of 20-ms-duration pulses of pheromone were delivered at rates of 1-33 Hz to antennal preparations of males of Bombyx mori and Lymantria dispar, two moth species with bipectinate antennae. Resolution of rapidly pulsed plumes of pheromone was not compromised by a complex antennal morphology or by moderate changes in wind speed (25-50 cm/s). Fourier analysis of the electroantennograms resolved the temporal structure of the signal at frequencies up to 25 Hz for B. mori and up to 5 Hz for L. dispar. The ability of these sensory structures to identify the original (unchanged) frequency of the pulse train is particularly noteworthy because air is slowed by about an order of magnitude as it passes through bipectinate antennae. Although an unchanging frequency in slowed airflow may be counterintuitive, this flow pattern, and its effects on odorant patch shape and spacing, is explained from fluid mechanical principles (i.e., the principle of continuity). An unchanging frequency suggests that as decelerating air passes through a bipectinate antenna, the slowed patches of odorant are stretched, thinned, and brought closer together by the same factor with which they are slowed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josep Bau
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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Inkster JA, Ling I, Honson NS, Jacquet L, Gries R, Plettner E. Synthesis of disparlure analogues, using resolution on microcrystalline cellulose triacetate-I. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tetasy.2005.10.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Howard RW, Blomquist GJ. Ecological, behavioral, and biochemical aspects of insect hydrocarbons. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2005; 50:371-93. [PMID: 15355247 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ento.50.071803.130359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 752] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
This review covers selected literature from 1982 to the present on some of the ecological, behavioral, and biochemical aspects of hydrocarbon use by insects and other arthropods. Major ecological and behavioral topics are species- and gender-recognition, nestmate recognition, task-specific cues, dominance and fertility cues, chemical mimicry, and primer pheromones. Major biochemical topics include chain length regulation, mechanism of hydrocarbon formation, timing of hydrocarbon synthesis and transport, and biosynthesis of volatile hydrocarbon pheromones of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. In addition, a section is devoted to future research needs in this rapidly growing area of science.
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Abad JL, Fabriàs G, Camps F. Synthesis of deuterated fatty acids to investigate the biosynthetic pathway of disparlure, the sex pheromone of the Gypsy Moth, Lymantria dispar. Lipids 2004; 39:397-401. [PMID: 15357028 DOI: 10.1007/s11745-004-1244-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The preparation and characterization of a series of deuterium-labeled intermediates used in the study of the biosynthetic pathway for disparlure, the sex pheromone of Lymantria dispar, is reported. The synthetic route starts with propargyl alcohol, and the deuterium atoms are introduced by deuteration of an alkyne precursor in the presence of Wilkinson's catalyst. The olefinic bond was created by the Wittig reaction of a suitable aldehyde with a common tetradeuterated phosphonium ylide intermediate. The presence of the expected label and its correct location were confirmed by both MS and 13C NMR. These compounds were successfully used to elucidate the disparlure biosynthetic pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- José-Luis Abad
- Departamento de Química Orgánica Biológica, Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas y Ambientales de Barcelona, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 08034-Barcelona, Spain.
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