title: Structure and activity of Bombyx PBAN.
abstract: Two structurally related molecular species of pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptides (PBANs), PBAN-I and -II, were isolated from adult heads of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, and characterized. PBAN-I is a carboxyl-terminally amidated 33-residue peptide. Structure-activity relationship studies revealed that 1) its carboxyl-terminal pentapeptide is the smallest size showing activity, 2) the carboxyl-terminal amide is indispensable for activity, and 3) oxidation of three Met residues in PBAN-I to Met(O) (methionine sulfoxide) caused marked enhancement of activity, and the three Met(O) residues contribute equally to the enhancement of activity. Molecular design of PBAN analogs using a carboxyl-terminal hexapeptide showed that modification of the amino-terminal amino group brought about a dramatic increase in activity. This increase was presumed to be mainly due to the increased stability in hemolymph. PBANs share the common carboxyl-terminal sequence, -Phe-Xaa-Pro-Arg-Leu-NH2, with myotropic peptides isolated from locust and cockroach. Examination of cross-activity of these two groups of peptides revealed that PBAN and its analogs exhibited myotropic activity comparable to myotropic peptides, while myotropic peptides showed extremely high pheromonotropic activity. In B. mori, PBAN activates sex pheromone (bombykol) production presumably by promoting the reduction reaction from acyl to alcohol, which is the last step in the biosynthesis of bombykol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagasawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuniyoshi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D012831:Bombyx / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019308:Palmitic Acid; D010169:Palmitic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D010675:Pheromones / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D009479:Neuropeptides; D010169:Palmitic Acids; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D010675:Pheromones; C060896:pheromone-biosynthesis-activating neuropeptide I; C067300:pheromone biosynthesis-activating neuropeptide II; D019308:Palmitic Acid