Study on Molecular Mechanisms of Biosynthesis of Epoxy Pheromones and its Regulation

鳞翅目高度进化类群中的雌性昆虫，如尺蛾科和灯蛾科，分泌一种由<17>C-C<23>聚烯烃和/或其环氧衍生物组成的性信息素。为了进一步明确其生物合成及其内分泌调控机制，从大尺蠖雌蛾信息素腺体中提取了编码环氧酶和信息素生物合成激活神经肽（PBAN）受体的cDNA。除了这些克隆实验，生物合成途径的四个信息素成分所产生的美国白色arctiid蛾被证实通过应用标记的前体和检查底物选择性的氧化酶在信息素腺体工作。此外，还从一些翠蛾物种中鉴定出了12位不饱和的新型信息素化合物，表明生殖隔离是由化学通讯系统的多样性建立的。

Lepidopteran female insects in highly evolved groups, such as Geometridae and Arctiidae, secretes a sex pheromone composed with C_<17>-C_<23> polyalkenes and/or their epoxy derivatives. In order to confirm biosynthesis and its endocrinal regulation mechanism, candidates of cDNAs encoding an epoxydase and a receptor of PBAN (pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide) were characterized from pheromone glands in female moths of the giant looper. In addition to these cloning experiments, biosynthetic pathways of four pheromone components produced by the American white arctiid moth were confirmed by application of labeled precursors and examined substrate selectivity of the oxidation enzymes working in pheromone glands. Furthermore, novel pheromone compounds unsaturated at a 12-position were identified from some species of emerald moths, indicating reproductive isolation was established by diversity of chemical communication systems.