[en] 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.
Disciplines :
Biochemistry, biophysics & molecular biology
Author, co-author :
Ding, Bao-Jian; Functional Zoology, Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, SE-22362 Lund, Sweden. bao-jian.ding@biol.lu.se
Lienard, Marjorie ; Université de Liège - ULiège > GIGA > GIGA Molecular Biology of Diseases ; Functional Zoology, Department of Biology, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
Wang, Hong-Lei; Functional Zoology, Department of Biology, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
Zhao, Cheng-Hua; State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100080 Beijing, China
Löfstedt, Christer; Functional Zoology, Department of Biology, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
Language :
English
Title :
Terminal fatty-acyl-CoA desaturase involved in sex pheromone biosynthesis in the winter moth (Operophtera brumata).
The authors thank G. Szöcs at the Department of Zoology, Hungarian Academy of Science, Budapest, Hungary for regularly providing the insects over the years. We are thankful to Dr. R. Adlof (Northern Regional Research Center, USDA-ARS, Peoria, IL) for providing labeling compounds, and to Dr. W. Christie (Scottish Crop Research Institute) for advice on the mass spectrum of tetra-unsaturated fatty acid methylester. This project was supported by the Swedish Research Council (VR) .
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