Ra. Jurenka, BIOSYNTHETIC-PATHWAY FOR PRODUCING THE SEX-PHEROMONE COMPONENT (Z,E)-9,12-TETRADECADIENYL ACETATE IN MOTHS INVOLVES A DELTA-12 DESATURASE, Cellular and molecular life sciences, 53(6), 1997, pp. 501-505
Sex pheromones are used by insects as a form of chemical communication
for the purpose of attracting conspecific mates. Female moths Cadra c
autella and Spodoptera exigua use the diene (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadienyl
acetate as the major pheromone component. Biosynthesis of this pherom
one component was demonstrated to occur through Delta 11 desaturation
of hexadecanoic acid (palmitate) to produce (Z)-11-hexadecenoic acid w
hich is then chain-shortened to (Z)-9-tetradecenoic acid. A unique Del
ta 12 desaturase uses the (Z)-9-tetradecenoic acid to produce (Z,E)-9,
12-tetradecenoic acid which is reduced and acetylated to form the acet
ate ester pheromone component. Both moths also use a pheromonotropic p
eptide to stimulate pheromone biosynthesis.