Steroid Hormone Signaling Is Essential for Pheromone Production and Oenocyte Survival.

ABSTRACT: Many of the lipids found on the cuticles of insects function as pheromones and communicate information about age, sex, and reproductive status. In Drosophila, the composition of the information-rich lipid profile is dynamic and changes over the lifetime of an individual. However, the molecular basis of this change is not well understood. To identify genes that control cuticular lipid production in Drosophila, we performed a RNA interference screen and used Direct Analysis in Real Time and gas chromatography mass spectrometry to quantify changes in the chemical profiles. Twelve putative genes were identified whereby transcriptional silencing led to significant differences in cuticular lipid production. Amongst them, we characterized a gene which we name spidey, and which encodes a putative

SUBMITTER: Chiang YN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4917198 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature