Chemical communication in scarab beetles: reciprocal behavioral agonist-antagonist activities of chiral pheromones.
A novel mechanism of reciprocal behavioral agonist-antagonist activities of enantiomeric pheromones plays a pivotal role in overcoming the signal-to-noise problem derived from the use of a single-constituent pheromone system in scarab beetles. Female Anomala osakana produce (S, Z)-5-(+)-(1-decenyl)oxacyclopentan-2-one, which is highly attractive to males; the response is completely inhibited even by 5% of its antipode. These two enantiomers have reverse roles in the Popillia japonica sex pheromone system. Chiral GC-electroantennographic detector experiments suggest that A. osakana and P. japonica have both R and S receptors that are responsible for behavioral agonist and antagonist responses.
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Laboratory of Chemical Prospecting, National Institute of Sericultural and Entomological Science, Tsukuba, Japan.
D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D001517:Coleoptera; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D008297:Male; D010675:Pheromones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D013237:Stereoisomerism
D010675:Pheromones