Evolution of Unique Desaturases in Moth Sex Pheromone Glands

蛾性信息素腺中独特去饱和酶的进化

• 批准号: 9870669
• 负责人: Wendell Roelofs
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Cornell Univ - State: AWDS MADE PRIOR MAY 2010
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing grant
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-07-01 至 2001-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9870669&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Evolution; Unique; Desaturases; Moth; Sex

9870669 Roelofs Sex pheromone systems in insects have had considerable attention because the species-specific attractant chemicals used for attracting mates can be exploited for monitoring and insect management strategies. Also, the critical use of these signals in maintaining the integrity of a species supports the idea that the evolution of the specific signals is directly involved in the speciation process. Although much is now known about how the chemical signals are biosynthesized in the pheromone gland of female moths, there remain many questions about how these chemical communication systems have evolved to use different blends and chemical compositions in related moth species. Dr. Roelofs has found that a family of unique enzymes have evolved in the moth pheromone gland to produce unsaturated compounds possessing double bonds in locations not normally found in other animals. The PI hypothesizes that these unique desaturases evolved from the common delta9 desaturase that is found in all animals to make compounds such as oleic acid (unsaturation at carbon 9). The characterization of the genes for some of the unique desaturases would provide the possibility of conducting a comparison of desaturase genes from primitive and advanced species to the common delta9 desaturase gene to understand better the speciation process. The project is now at a stage of characterizing a gene for a desaturase that produces an E configuration double bond - a gene that has not been identified in any plant or animal. An understanding of the unique desaturases from moth glands and how they insert double bonds, in addition to its huge contribution to the fundamental knowledge about these enzymes and to the specification process, could lead to the development of commercial processes for producing valuable raw materials for the pharmaceuticals, food or chemical industries.

昆虫中的Roelofs性信息素系统受到了相当大的关注，因为用于吸引配偶的物种特异性引诱剂化学品可以用于监测和昆虫管理策略。 此外，这些信号在维持物种完整性方面的关键用途支持了特定信号的进化直接参与物种形成过程的观点。 虽然现在已经知道很多关于化学信号是如何在雌蛾的信息素腺体中生物合成的，但关于这些化学通信系统如何进化到在相关蛾物种中使用不同的混合物和化学成分仍然存在许多问题。 Roelofs博士发现，蛾信息素腺体中进化出了一系列独特的酶，产生了在其他动物中通常不存在的位置具有双键的不饱和化合物。 PI假设这些独特的去饱和酶是从常见的delta 9去饱和酶进化而来的，delta 9去饱和酶在所有动物中都存在，以产生化合物，如油酸（碳9不饱和）。 一些独特的去饱和酶的基因的表征将提供进行从原始和先进的物种去饱和酶基因的比较，以更好地了解物种形成过程的共同delta 9去饱和酶基因的可能性。 该项目目前正处于鉴定一种产生E构型双键的去饱和酶基因的阶段--这种基因尚未在任何植物或动物中被鉴定出来。 了解蛾腺中独特的去饱和酶以及它们如何插入双键，除了对这些酶的基础知识和规范过程做出巨大贡献外，还可能导致为制药，食品或化学工业生产有价值的原材料的商业过程的发展。