Abstract
Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are known to release pheromones that belong to the class of terpene compounds. Cyclic 15-carbon sesquiterpenes with a bisabolane type skeleton typically serve as aggregation pheromones in common pentatomid pests such as the southern green stink bug (Nezara viridula) and the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys). This chapter describes recent findings in the de novo biosynthesis of terpene pheromones in stink bugs with a focus on terpene synthase (TPS) enzymes that convert farnesyl diphosphate (FDP), a common intermediate of terpene biosynthesis, to pheromone precursors. The TPS proteins share sequence similarity with trans-isoprenyl diphosphate synthases (IDSs) of the core terpene pathway indicating that insect TPSs have evolved from IDS progenitors. The transition from IDS to TPS function has been described in other insects (e.g. Coleoptera) and gives rise to the discovery of similar enzymes and pathways and the study of their evolutionary emergence in terpene pheromone and semiochemical biosynthesis in different insect lineages.
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