Study on mechanisms for production and reception of epoxy sex pheromones produced by Geometrid moths

尺蛾科的雌蛾产生具有直链的多不饱和碳氢化合物的顺式环氧化物。体内实验表明，在生物合成信息素的一步中，酶的底物特异性为单环氧化。对处女的血淋巴的分析表明，有碳氢化合物的存在，这表明环氧性信息素的前体是在信息素腺体外产生的，并通过血淋巴运输到腺体，以完成生物合成。这一生产体系不同于为蚕蛾提出的生产体系。此外，用孵化的信息素腺体进行的实验表明，信息素的产生受到食道下神经节分泌的激素(信息素生物合成激活神经肽，PBAN)的调节。神经肽不刺激环氧酶，但激活碳氢化合物向腺体的运输。雄蛾的触角含有信息素结合蛋白(PBP)。其氨基酸序列与家蚕蛾的PBP具有较高的同源性(约80%)，具有6个半胱氨酸残基。为了了解嗅觉的机制，对其结合的特异性和功能进行了研究。环氧性信息素也从其他科的雌性昆虫中被鉴定出来，即夜蛾科、弓形科和毒蛾科。这些家族包括大量物种，预计一些雌性昆虫会产生进一步修饰的化合物。从文献[1]中的两种莱曼三属中，我们成功地鉴定出含有两个环氧环或一个反环氧环的新型信息素组分，为环氧性信息素的研究提供了新的有趣的课题。

Female moths in the family of Geometridae produce cis-epoxides of poly-unsaturated hydrocarbons with a straight chain. In vivo experiments using deuterium-labeled compound revealed substrate specificity of enzymes for a step of mono-epoxidation in the pheromone biosynthesis. Analysis of hemolymph of the virgin females showed occurrence of the hydrocarbons, indicating that the precursors of the epoxy pheromones were produced.outside of the pheromone gland and transported to the gland via hemolymph for perfection of the biosynthesis. This production system is different from that proposed for the silkworm moth. Furthermore, experiments with incubated pheromone glands showed that the pheromone production was regulated by a hormone (pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide, PBAN) secreted from a subesophageal ganglion. The neuropeptide did not stimulate the epoxidation enzyme, but activate transport of the hydrocarbons into the glands.The antennae of male moths include pheromone-binding protein (PBP). The amino acid sequence of a gerometrid PBP showed positional conservation of six cysteine residues and high homology (about 80 %) with the PBP of the silkworm moth. In order to understand the mechanism of olfactory perception, its binding specificity and function is studying.Epoxy pheromones have been also identified from females in other families ; I.e. Noctuidae, Arctiidae, and Lymantriidae. These families include a large number of species, and it is expected that some females produced further modified compounds. From two lymantriid species in, we successfully identified novel pheromone components with two epoxy rings or a trans-epoxy ring, which offered new interesting subjects for research of the epoxy sex pheromones.