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Insect Biochem Mol Biol

Title:		Evolution of a desaturase involved in female pheromonal cuticular hydrocarbon biosynthesis and courtship behavior in Drosophila
Author(s):		Legendre A; Miao XX; Da Lage JL; Wicker-Thomas C;
Address:		"Universite ParisXI, UMR8620, CNRS, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France"
Journal Title:		Insect Biochem Mol Biol
Year:		2008
Volume:		20071124
Issue:		2
Page Number:		244 - 255
DOI:		10.1016/j.ibmb.2007.11.005
ISSN/ISBN:		0965-1748 (Print) 0965-1748 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Drosophila species exhibit polymorphism in female pheromonal cuticular hydrocarbons, with 7-monoenes produced in Drosophila simulans and 7,11-dienes in most populations of Drosophila melanogaster (5,9-dienes in several African populations). A female-biased desaturase, desatF, expressed only in D. melanogaster is involved in the synthesis of 7,11-dienes. We investigated the role of desatF in 5,9-diene flies. We constructed a 5,9-diene strain knock-down for desatF and showed that desatF is involved in 5,9-diene formation. We also studied D. melanogaster/D. simulans hybrids. These hybrid females produced dienes and received normal courtship from D. melanogaster males, but copulation success was reduced. With D. simulans males, courtship was decreased and no copulation occurred. Hybrids with a chromosomal deletion of the D. melanogaster desatF gene had no dienes and received normal courtship from D. simulans males; depending on the D. simulans parental strain, 7-19% of them succeeded in mating. D. simulans desatF promoter region shows 21-23% gaps and 86-89% identity with D. melanogaster promoter region, the coding region 93-94% identity, depending on the strain. These differences could explain the functional polymorphism of desatF observed between both species, contributing to different cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, that constitute an effective barrier between species"
Keywords:		"Alkenes/*metabolism Animals Drosophila Proteins/genetics/*metabolism Drosophila melanogaster/*enzymology/genetics/metabolism Fatty Acid Desaturases/genetics/*metabolism Female Genetic Speciation Hybridization, Genetic Male Molecular Sequence Data Open Rea;"
Notes:		"MedlineLegendre, Ariele Miao, Xue-Xia Da Lage, Jean-Luc Wicker-Thomas, Claude eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2008/01/22 Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2008 Feb; 38(2):244-55. doi: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2007.11.005. Epub 2007 Nov 24"