A novel fatty acyl desaturase from the pheromone glands of Ctenopseustis obliquana and C. herana with specific Z5-desaturase activity on myristic acid.

ABSTRACT: Sexual communication in the Lepidoptera typically involves a female-produced sex pheromone that attracts males of the same species. The most common type of moth sex pheromone comprises individual or blends of fatty acyl derivatives that are synthesized by a specific enzymatic pathway in the female's pheromone gland, often including a desaturation step. This reaction is catalyzed by fatty acyl desaturases that introduce double bonds at specific locations in the fatty acid precursor backbone. The two tortricid moths, Ctenopseustis obliquana and C. herana (brown-headed leafrollers), which are endemic in New Zealand, both use (Z)-5-tetradecenyl acetate as part of their sex pheromone. In C. herana, (Z)-5-tetradecenyl acetate is the sole component of the pheromone. Labeling experiments have reve

SUBMITTER: Hagstrom AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3909261 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature