Abstract
Moths produce species-specific sex pheromones to attract conspecific mates. The biochemical processes that comprise sex pheromone biosynthesis are precisely regulated and a number of gene products are involved in this biosynthesis and regulation. In recent years, at least 300 EST clones have been isolated from Bombyx mori pheromone gland (PG) specific cDNA libraries with some of those clones [i.e., B. mori PG-specific desaturase 1 (Bmpgdesat1), PG-specific fatty acyl reductase, PG-specific acyl-CoA-binding protein, B. mori fatty acid transport protein, B. mori lipid storage droplet protein-1] characterized and demonstrated to play a role in sex pheromone production. However, most of the EST clones have yet to be fully characterized and identified. To develop an efficient system for analyzing sex pheromone production-related genes, we investigated the feasibility of a novel gene analysis system using the upstream region of Bmpgdesat1 that should contain a PG-specific gene promoter in conjunction with piggyBac vector-mediated germ line transformation. As a result, we have been able to obtain expression of our reporter gene (enhanced green fluorescent protein) in the PG but not in other tissues of transgenic B. mori. Current results indicate that we have successfully constructed a novel in vivo gene analysis system for sex pheromone production in B. mori.
Highlights
Many species of moths (Insecta: Lepidoptera) produce and release sex pheromones, which are species-specific multi-component blends of semiochemicals, that attract conspecific mates (Tamaki, 1985)
EST clones classified as PG-specific fatty acyl reductase (pgFAR) were likewise present in the MFB cDNA library that was prepared from microbe-infected fat bodies of fifth instar larvae
These results indicate that the gene promoters of Bmpgdesat1 and pgFAR could be exploited for PGspecific expression of target genes of interest in vivo, but not that of PG-specific acyl-CoAbinding protein (pgACBP)
Summary
Many species of moths (Insecta: Lepidoptera) produce and release sex pheromones, which are species-specific multi-component blends of semiochemicals, that attract conspecific mates (Tamaki, 1985). A major class of sex pheromones produced by these female moths has been characterized by the presence of straight chain C10–C18 unsaturated aliphatic compounds containing an oxygenated functional group such as alcohol, aldehyde, or acetate ester. These components are synthesized de novo in the pheromoneproducing cells from acetyl-CoA through fatty acid synthesis, chain shortening, desaturation, and reductive modification of the carbonyl carbon (Tillman et al, 1999). Bombykol is biosynthesized de novo from acetyl-CoA through palmitate, which is stepwise converted to bombykol by Δ11 desaturation, Δ10, 12 desaturation, and reduction (Ando et al, 1988)
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