title: Alkenyl sex pheromone analogs in the hemolymph of an arctiid Eilema japonica and several non-arctiid moths.
abstract: The majority of moth species utilize compounds derived from de novo synthesized fatty acids as their sex pheromones (type I). In contrast, species belonging to two recently diverged moth families, Arctiidae and Geometridae, utilize alkenes and their epoxides, which are derived from dietary essential fatty acids (EFAs), as their sex pheromones (type II). In the latter species, EFAs are considered to be converted into alkenes, often after chain elongation, in specialized cells called oenocytes. These alkenes are transported through the hemolymph to the pheromone gland, from which they are secreted with or without further modifications. We confirmed that the appearance of EFA-derived alkenes in the hemolymph was closely associated with the completion of pheromone gland formation in an arctiid moth Eilema japonica. Analyses of the hemolymph of several moth species utilizing type-I sex pheromones demonstrated the occurrence of (Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9-tricosatriene (T23), a typical type-II component, in the hemolymph of a noctuid Mamestra brassicae and two crambids Ostrinia furnacalis and Ostrinia scapulalis. Our results demonstrated that moths utilizing type-I pheromones have the ability to synthesize type-II sex pheromones, and suggested that recently diverged groups of moths may have secondarily exploited EFA-derived alkenes as sex pheromones.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan. Electronic address: takeshi.f0405@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nirazawa
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rong
authors.affiliation: College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
authors.forename: Shuang-Lin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005088:Exocrine Glands / Q000254:growth & development; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000378:metabolism*; D009036:Moths / Q000378:metabolism*; D011090:Polyenes / Q000378:metabolism*; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: C000597842:3,6,9-tricosatriene; D005227:Fatty Acids; D011090:Polyenes; D012724:Sex Attractants
keywords: Eilema japonica; Hemolymph; Type-I and type-II sex pheromones