Journal
NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN
Volume 89, Issue 2, Pages 79-83Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s00114-001-0290-y
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- NICHD NIH HHS [R01 HD038069] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
For over three decades the site and pathways of bark beetle aggregation pheromone production have remained elusive. Studies on pheromone production in Ips spp. bark beetles have recently shown de novo biosynthesis of pheromone components via the mevalonate pathway. The gene encoding a key regulated enzyme in this pathway, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-R), showed high transcript levels in the anterior mid ut of male pine engravers, Ips pini (Say) (Coleoptera:Scolytidae). HMG-R expression in the midgut was sex, juvenile hormone, and feeding dependent, providing strong evidence that this is the site of acyclic monoterpenoid (ipsdienol) pheromone production in male beetles. Additionally, isolated midgut tissue from fed or juvenile hormone III (JH III)-treated males converted radiolabeled acetate to ipsdienol, as assayed by radio-HPLC. These data support the de novo production of this frass-associated aggregation pheromone component by the mevalonate pathway. The induction of a metazoan HMG-R in this process does not support the postulated role of microorganisms in ipsdienol production.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available