title: Cloning and functional characterization of a fatty acid transport protein (FATP) from the pheromone gland of a lichen moth, Eilema japonica, which secretes an alkenyl sex pheromone.
abstract: Sex pheromones of moths are largely classified into two types based on the presence (Type I) or absence (Type II) of a terminal functional group. While Type-I sex pheromones are synthesized from common fatty acids in the pheromone gland (PG), Type-II sex pheromones are derived from hydrocarbons produced presumably in the oenocytes and transported to the PG via the hemolymph. Recently, a fatty acid transport protein (BmFATP) was identified from the PG of the silkworm Bombyx mori, which produces a Type-I sex pheromone (bombykol). BmFATP was shown to facilitate the uptake of extracellular fatty acids into PG cells for the synthesis of bombykol. To elucidate the presence and function of FATP in the PG of moths that produce Type-II sex pheromones, we explored fatp homologues expressed in the PG of a lichen moth, Eilema japonica, which secretes an alkenyl sex pheromone (Type II). A fatp homologue cloned from E. japonica (Ejfatp) was predominantly expressed in the PG, and its expression is upregulated shortly after eclosion. Functional expression of EjFATP in Escherichia coli enhanced the uptake of long chain fatty acids (C₁₈ and C₂₀), but not pheromone precursor hydrocarbons. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the cloning and functional characterization of a FATP in the PG of a moth producing a Type-II sex pheromone. Although EjFATP is not likely to be involved in the uptake of pheromone precursors in E. japonica, the expression pattern of Ejfatp suggests a role for EjFATP in the PG not directly linked to pheromone biosynthesis.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Shuguang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000235:genetics; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004926:Escherichia coli; D050612:Fatty Acid Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000378:metabolism; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D007564:Japan; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009036:Moths / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D012543:Scent Glands / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D050612:Fatty Acid Transport Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids; D019476:Insect Proteins; D012724:Sex Attractants