JUVENILE-HORMONE STIMULATES PHEROMONOTROPIC BRAIN FACTOR RELEASE IN THE FEMALE BLACK CUTWORM, AGROTIS-IPSILON

Sex pheromone biosynthesis of various insects has been shown to be con trolled by a brain neuropeptide (PBAN) and in some cases by juvenile h ormone (JH) from the corpora allata (CA), However, the mode of action of JH in the control of sex pheromone biosynthesis is still unclear, A lthough pheromonotropic activity was detected in their brains, females of the black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon, lacking CA did not produce sex pheromone, Pheromone production could be restored in allatectomized f emale moths by injection of brain extracts or by injection of syntheti c PBAN or JH-III, Injection of synthetic JH-III did not stimulate pher omone production in decapitated females. These results indicate that J H secreted by CA control sex pheromone biosynthesis of A, ipsilon fema les by stimulating pheromonotropic brain factor (PBAN-like factor) rel ease from the central nervous system and not by controlling PBAN-like production or by priming PBAN-like target glandular cells,