Abstract
Both males and females of heliothine moths utilize sex-pheromones during the mating process. Females produce and release a sex pheromone for the long–range attraction of males for mating. Production of sex pheromone in females is controlled by the peptide hormone (pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide, PBAN). This review will highlight what is known about the role PBAN plays in controlling pheromone production in female moths. Male moths produce compounds associated with a hairpencil structure associated with the aedaegus that are used as short-range aphrodisiacs during the mating process. We will discuss the role that PBAN plays in regulating male production of hairpencil pheromones.
Highlights
ON Pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) The hormonal regulation of pheromone biosynthesis in moths was first demonstrated in the heliothine Helicoverpa zea (Raina et al, 1987) and a peptide isolated shortly thereafter (Raina et al, 1989)
In addition to encoding for PBAN four other neuropeptides could be produced. One of these had been identified as the diapause hormone that regulates embryonic diapause in the silkworm moth (Imai et al, 1991)
The analysis of mRNA from a number of moth species indicates that five peptides could be produced by the PBAN gene (Choi et al, 2004)
Summary
ON PBAN The hormonal regulation of pheromone biosynthesis in moths was first demonstrated in the heliothine Helicoverpa zea (Raina et al, 1987) and a peptide isolated shortly thereafter (Raina et al, 1989). Pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) was identified as a 33 amino acid C-terminal amidated peptide from the brain–subesophageal ganglion complex of adult female moths.
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