U.S.-New Zealand Cooperative Research: Comparative Role of Pheromone Biosynthesis Activating Neuropeptide (PBAN) in Moth Species

该奖项将支持博士之间的合作研究。 温德尔湖康奈尔大学的鲁洛夫斯和斯蒂芬博士 新西兰科学和技术部的福斯特 工业研究（DSIRO）。 在过去的二十年里， 研究人员已经建立了一个生物合成 产生信息素的酶途径 位于腺体和其他器官中，由 脑激素、生物合成激活神经肽（PBAN）。 然而，关键的未回答的问题已经弥漫在这些 研究：这些荷尔蒙系统及其独特的 信息素的生物合成酶和脑激素控制 生产，这是物种特有的，进化？ 这 合作项目将围绕这一研究问题， 也就是PBAN如何影响信息素产生的进化 在几种蛾类中。 该项目代表了新的 新西兰和美国的研究人员。 新西兰集团已 丰富的经验和知识的唯一蛾类 在世界上已知的展示原始的模式， 更先进的信息素生物合成途径在同一 属 美国小组将应用这一系列技术， 他们开发的，用于研究PBAN的作用， 为研究提供合成的PBAN。 这项研究是 推进基本认识的重要基础性工作 大脑激素PBAN的进化过程 此外，由于 激素会导致行为上的化学性根本改变， 这项研究有可能产生与调节 昆虫在心脏活动和血液等方面的行为 糖

This award will support collaborative research between Dr. Wendell L. Roelofs of Cornell University and Dr. Stephen Foster of the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIRO). Over the last two decades, researchers have built a knowledge-base of the biosynthetic enzyme pathways through which production of pheromone located in glands and other organs, is activated by the brain-hormone, biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN). Critical unanswered questions,however, have pervaded these studies: How did these hormonal systems and their unique biosynthetic enzymes and brain-hormonal control of pheromone production, which are species-specific, evolve? This cooperative project will focus on this research question, that is, the evolution of how PBAN effects pheromone production in several moth species. The project represents excellent collaboration between New Zealand and U.S. researchers. The New Zealand group has extensive experience and knowledge of the only moth species known in the world to exhibit the pattern of primitive to more advanced pheromone biosynthetic pathways within the same genus. The U.S. group will apply the series of techniques, which they developed, for studying the action of PBAN, and provide synthetic PBAN for the study. The research is important fundamental work in advancing basic understanding of evolution of the brain-hormone, PBAN. Also, since hormones cause chemically-based radical changes in behavior, the study has the potential for results relevant to regulating insect behavior in areas such as cardiac activity and blood sugar.