| Title: | Metabolomics and transcriptomics of pheromone biosynthesis in an aggressive forest pest Ips typographus |
| Author(s): | Ramakrishnan R; Hradecky J; Roy A; Kalinova B; Mendezes RC; Synek J; Blaha J; Svatos A; Jirosova A; |
| Address: | "Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic. Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany. Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany; Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic. Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic. Electronic address: jirosovaa@fld.czu.cz" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ibmb.2021.103680 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-0240 (Electronic) 0965-1748 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Eurasian spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, is a destructive pest in spruce forests. The ability of I. typographus to colonise host trees depends on its massive aggregation behaviour mediated by aggregation pheromones, consisting of 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol and cis-verbenol. Other biologically active compounds such as ipsdienol and verbenone have also been detected in the beetle. Biosynthesis of 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol and ipsdienol de novo from mevalonate and that of cis-verbenol from alpha-pinene sequestrated from the host have been reported in preliminary studies. However, knowledge on the molecular mechanisms underlying pheromone biosynthesis in this pest is currently limited. In this study, we performed metabolomic and differential gene expression (DGE) analysis for the pheromone-producing life stages of I. typographus. The highest amounts of 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (238 ng/gut) and cis-verbenol (23 ng/gut) were found in the fed male gut (colonisation stage) and the immature male gut (early stage), respectively. We also determined the amount of verbenyl oleate (the possible storage form of cis-verbenol), a monoterpenyl fatty acid ester, to be approximately 1604 ng/mg in the immature stage in the beetle body. DGE analysis revealed possible candidate genes involved in the biosynthesis of the quantified pheromones and related compounds. A novel hemiterpene-synthesising candidate isoprenyl-di-phosphate synthase Ityp09271 gene proposed for 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol synthesis was found to be highly expressed only in the fed male beetle gut. Putative cytochrome P450 genes involved in cis/trans-verbenol synthesis and an esterase gene Ityp11977, which could regulate verbenyl oleate synthesis, were identified in the immature male gut. Our findings from the molecular analysis of pheromone-producing gene families are the first such results reported for I. typographus. With further characterisation of the identified genes, we can develop novel strategies to disrupt the aggregation behaviour of I. typographus and thereby prevent vegetation loss" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Bicyclic Monoterpenes/chemistry Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System/genetics Esterases/genetics Feeding Behavior Forests Gastrointestinal Tract/metabolism Gene Expression Profiling Genes, Insect Metabolomics Pest Control *Pheromones/biosynthesis/chemis;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineRamakrishnan, Rajarajan Hradecky, Jaromir Roy, Amit Kalinova, Blanka Mendezes, Rya C Synek, Jiri Blaha, Jaromir Svatos, Ales Jirosova, Anna eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2021/11/23 Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2022 Jan; 140:103680. doi: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2021.103680. Epub 2021 Nov 19" |
