Novel and Highly Specific Transport of a Volatile Sex Pheromone by Hemolymph Lipophorin in Moths

Schal, Coby; Sevala, Veeresh L.; Cardé, Ring T.

doi:10.1007/s001140050511

Cited by 74 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…We had assumed that this pool was largely, if not exclusively, biosynthesized de novo in the gland. However, the relatively high production of pheromone from abdominal fatty acid injections, and the relatively slow rate of fat synthesis in the gland in H. virescens females (Foster and Anderson, 2012), suggests that most glandular fats may actually originate elsewhere, such as the fat body (Arrese and Soulages, 2010), and are transported to the gland by lipophorins (Schal et al, 1998) from the late pupal stage onwards.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex pheromones in mate assessment: analysis of nutrient cost of sex pheromone production by females of the mothHeliothis virescens

Foster

Anderson

2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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It has been postulated that sex pheromones, in addition to their role in mate recognition and/or finding, may also serve a role in assessment of mate quality. For this, a sex pheromone must give honest information about a signaler's quality, with honesty ensured by a direct metabolic or indirect fitness cost to the signaler. Using a stable isotope tracer-tracee method, we characterized the nutrient pools that fuel sex pheromone production in females of the moth Heliothis virescens, as well as the relative importance of larval-and adultacquired nutrients to this process. Females used three pools for de novo biosynthesis of sex pheromone, hemolymph trehalose, glycogen (via trehalose) and fat, and produced ca. 25% of pheromone directly from stored ( previously synthesized) precursor fatty acids. Pheromone was produced roughly equally from carbohydrate and fat. Adult feeding was very important for pheromone biosynthesis, with a maximum of 65% of de novo biosynthesized pheromone produced from a single adult feed (carbohydrate). Although these nutrient pools are shared with other reproductive physiologies, notably oocyte production, it is unlikely that pheromone production imposes a significant metabolic cost on females, because (i) the amount of nutrients used for pheromone production is negligible compared with that available, (ii) the hemolymph trehalose pool is readily replaceable throughout the adult life, and (iii) in mated females, carbohydrate shortages result in reduced allocation to pheromone.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex pheromones in mate assessment: analysis of nutrient cost of sex pheromone production by females of the mothHeliothis virescens

Foster

Anderson

2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…The lipophorin transport of hydrocarbons can be quite specific, as demonstrated in Holomelina tiger moths. Here, the pheromone component 2-methylheptadecane is synthesized in the abdominal integument and specifically transported by lipophorin to the pheromone gland serving as a reservoir (Schal et al, 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deciphering the signature of cuticular lipids with contact sex pheromone function in a parasitic wasp

Kühbandner

Sperling

Mori³

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYThe surface of insects is covered by a complex mixture of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) to prevent desiccation. In many species these lipids also have communicative functions, but often it is unknown which components are crucial for the behavioural response. Furthermore, it is often ignored that polar lipids also occur on the insectsʼ cuticle and might interact with CHCs. In the parasitic wasp Lariophagus distinguendus, CHCs function as a contact sex pheromone eliciting wing-fanning in males. Interestingly, not only females but also newly emerged males have the pheromone, resulting regularly in homosexual courtship. However, males deactivate the pheromone within the first two days after emergence. This deactivation is accompanied by the disappearance of 3-methylheptacosane (3-MeC27) and some minor components from the CHC profile of males. Here we show that 3-MeC27 is a key component of the contact sex pheromone which, however, triggers courtship behaviour only if an olfactory background of other cuticular lipids is present. Males responded to (S)-3-MeC27 enantioselectively when applied to filter paper but on three-dimensional dummies both enantiomers were behaviourally active, suggesting that physical stimuli also play a role in sexual communication of the wasps. Finally, we report that triacylglycerides (TAGs) are also essential components of the pheromone, and present evidence that TAGs actually occur on the cuticle of L. distinguendus. Our data provide novel insights into the semiochemical function of cuticular lipids by showing that the bioactivity of CHCs may be influenced by the stereochemistry and a synergetic interaction with long time ignored TAGs.

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“…The lipid protein carrier lipophorin then transports the newly synthesized hydrocarbon from the oenocytes to epidermal cells throughout the insect where the hydrocarbon is transferred to the cuticular surface (28). In the arctiid moth, Holomelina aurantiaca, the transport of pheromone is very specific in that only the pheromone is unloaded at the phero- mone gland, whereas hydrocarbon destined for the cuticular surface is not (29). To determine where in the gypsy moth female the alkene is produced, isolated tissues were incubated with D 8 -valine.…”

Section: Fig 2 Valine Incorporation Into the Alkene 2me-7-18:hc (A)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex pheromone biosynthetic pathway for disparlure in the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar

Jurenka

Subchev

Abad

et al. 2003

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The pheromone biosynthetic pathway for production of the sex pheromone disparlure, 2-methyl-7R,8S-epoxy-octadecane, was determined for the gypsy moth. Each step in the pathway was followed by using deuterium-labeled compounds that could be identified by using GC͞MS. This approach provides unequivocal determination of specific reactions in the pathway. It was shown that the alkene precursor, 2-methyl-Z7-octadecene, is most likely made in oenocyte cells associated with abdominal epidermal cells. The pathway begins with valine contributing carbons for chain initiation, including the methyl-branched carbon, followed by chain elongation to 19 carbons. The double bond is introduced with an unusual ⌬12 desaturase that utilizes a methyl-branched substrate. The resulting 18-methyl-Z12-nonadecenoate is decarboxylated to the hydrocarbon, 2-methyl-Z7-octadecene. The alkene is then transported to the pheromone gland through the hemolymph, most probably by lipophorin. At the pheromone gland, the alkene is unloaded and transformed into the epoxide disparlure for release into the environment. A chiral HPLC column was used to demonstrate that the (R,S)-stereoisomer of the epoxide, (؉)-disparlure is found in pheromone glands.

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Novel and Highly Specific Transport of a Volatile Sex Pheromone by Hemolymph Lipophorin in Moths

Cited by 74 publications

References 19 publications

Sex pheromones in mate assessment: analysis of nutrient cost of sex pheromone production by females of the mothHeliothis virescens

Sex pheromones in mate assessment: analysis of nutrient cost of sex pheromone production by females of the mothHeliothis virescens

Deciphering the signature of cuticular lipids with contact sex pheromone function in a parasitic wasp

Sex pheromone biosynthetic pathway for disparlure in the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar

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