title: Biosynthesis of the Caenorhabditis elegans dauer pheromone.
abstract: To sense its population density and to trigger entry into the stress-resistant dauer larval stage, Caenorhabditis elegans uses the dauer pheromone, which consists of ascaroside derivatives with short, fatty acid-like side chains. Although the dauer pheromone has been studied for 25 years, its biosynthesis is completely uncharacterized. The daf-22 mutant is the only known mutant defective in dauer pheromone production. Here, we show that daf-22 encodes a homolog of human sterol carrier protein SCPx, which catalyzes the final step in peroxisomal fatty acid beta-oxidation. We also show that dhs-28, which encodes a homolog of the human d-bifunctional protein that acts just upstream of SCPx, is also required for pheromone production. Long-term daf-22 and dhs-28 cultures develop dauer-inducing activity by accumulating less active, long-chain fatty acid ascaroside derivatives. Thus, daf-22 and dhs-28 are required for the biosynthesis of the short-chain fatty acid-derived side chains of the dauer pheromone and link dauer pheromone production to metabolic state.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Butcher
authors.forename: Justin R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Ragains
authors.forename: Weiqing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ruvkun
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Clardy
authors.forename: Ho Yi
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Mak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010675:Pheromones / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids; D010675:Pheromones; C072087:sterol carrier proteins