How is pheromone stereochemistry regulated in Ips bark beetles

Ips 树皮甲虫的信息素立体化学是如何调节的

• 批准号: 1122248
• 负责人: Gary Blomquist
• 金额: $ 36万
• 依托单位: Board of Regents, NSHE, obo University of Nevada, Reno
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-08-15 至 2015-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1122248&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: How; pheromone; stereochemistry; regulated; Ips

Bark beetles are among the most significant economic pests in North America, causing the loss of billions of board feet of timber each year and adding to the fuel load that contributed to the devastating wild fires in the western U.S. over the past several decades. The long term goal of this project is to develop new and effective pest management tactics based on pheromone systems (chemical secretions produced by the beetles). Except for a brief pheromone directed flight, bark beetles spend the majority of their lives protected beneath the bark of the trees they colonize and kill. Pheromones are essential for beetles to mount the mass attack that leads to tree death. This research project is designed to gain a better understanding of the biochemical processes by which bark beetles produce pheromones. Bark beetles produce pheromone components in the midgut by mobilizing and up-regulating the enzymes of the mevalonate pathway and by specialization of the enzymes that detoxify tree defensive chemicals. The final steps in pheromone production involve changing the stereochemistry of terpenoid alcohols to achieve the final blend that functions as the pheromone. This project is designed to characterize these enzymes. In addition, a post-doctoral fellow, a graduate student, and several undergraduates will be trained during the work on the project.

树皮甲虫是北美最重要的经济害虫之一，每年导致数十亿板英尺的木材损失，并增加了燃料负荷，导致了过去几十年美国西部毁灭性的野火。该项目的长期目标是基于信息素系统(甲虫产生的化学分泌物)开发新的有效的害虫管理策略。除了短暂的信息素引导飞行外，树皮甲虫一生中的大部分时间都在它们殖民和杀死的树皮下度过。信息素对于甲虫发动大规模攻击是必不可少的，这种攻击会导致树木死亡。这项研究项目旨在更好地了解树皮甲虫产生信息素的生化过程。树皮甲虫通过调动和上调甲氧戊酸途径的酶，以及通过专门化解毒树木防御化学物质的酶，在中肠产生信息素成分。信息素生产的最后一步涉及改变萜类醇的立体化学，以获得作为信息素的最终混合物。这个项目旨在描述这些酶的特性。此外，一名博士后研究员、一名研究生和几名本科生将在项目工作期间接受培训。