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Terminal fatty-acyl-CoA desaturase involved in sex pheromone biosynthesis in the Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata)

Ding, Bao-Jian LU ; Liénard, Marjorie LU orcid ; Wang, Hong-Lei LU ; Zhao, Cheng-Hua LU and Löfstedt, Christer LU (2011) In Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 41. p.715-722
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... (More)
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. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
volume
41
pages
715 - 722
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000293105000009
  • pmid:21651981
  • scopus:79959794226
  • pmid:21651981
ISSN
1879-0240
DOI
10.1016/j.ibmb.2011.05.003
project
The pheromone brewery
Evolutionary mechanisms of pheromone divergence in Lepidoptera
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
aac857ba-6d18-4fc5-ac31-f8248a0e7ad1 (old id 2008339)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:44:38
date last changed
2022-04-21 23:21:15
@article{aac857ba-6d18-4fc5-ac31-f8248a0e7ad1,
  abstract     = {{The Winter Moth (<i>Operophtera brumata</i> 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.}},
  author       = {{Ding, Bao-Jian and Liénard, Marjorie and Wang, Hong-Lei and Zhao, Cheng-Hua and Löfstedt, Christer}},
  issn         = {{1879-0240}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{715--722}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology}},
  title        = {{Terminal fatty-acyl-CoA desaturase involved in sex pheromone biosynthesis in the Winter Moth <i>(Operophtera brumata)</i>}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ibmb.2011.05.003}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.ibmb.2011.05.003}},
  volume       = {{41}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}