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PLoS Biol

Title:		A novel terpene synthase controls differences in anti-aphrodisiac pheromone production between closely related Heliconius butterflies
Author(s):		Darragh K; Orteu A; Black D; Byers K; Szczerbowski D; Warren IA; Rastas P; Pinharanda A; Davey JW; Fernanda Garza S; Abondano Almeida D; Merrill RM; McMillan WO; Schulz S; Jiggins CD;
Address:		"Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Panama. School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom. Institute of Organic Chemistry, Department of Life Sciences, Technische Universitat Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany. Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. Division of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen, Munich, Germany"
Journal Title:		PLoS Biol
Year:		2021
Volume:		20210119
Issue:		1
Page Number:		e3001022 -
DOI:		10.1371/journal.pbio.3001022
ISSN/ISBN:		1545-7885 (Electronic) 1544-9173 (Print) 1544-9173 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Plants and insects often use the same compounds for chemical communication, but not much is known about the genetics of convergent evolution of chemical signals. The terpene (E)-beta-ocimene is a common component of floral scent and is also used by the butterfly Heliconius melpomene as an anti-aphrodisiac pheromone. While the biosynthesis of terpenes has been described in plants and microorganisms, few terpene synthases (TPSs) have been identified in insects. Here, we study the recent divergence of 2 species, H. melpomene and Heliconius cydno, which differ in the presence of (E)-beta-ocimene; combining linkage mapping, gene expression, and functional analyses, we identify 2 novel TPSs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that one, HmelOS, is able to synthesise (E)-beta-ocimene in vitro. We find no evidence for TPS activity in HcydOS (HmelOS ortholog of H. cydno), suggesting that the loss of (E)-beta-ocimene in this species is the result of coding, not regulatory, differences. The TPS enzymes we discovered are unrelated to previously described plant and insect TPSs, demonstrating that chemical convergence has independent evolutionary origins"
Keywords:		"Alkyl and Aryl Transferases/genetics/*metabolism Animals Aphrodisiacs/*antagonists & inhibitors Avoidance Learning/drug effects *Butterflies/genetics/metabolism Evolution, Molecular Female Genes, Insect Male Pheromones/*metabolism/pharmacology Phylogeny S;"
Notes:		"MedlineDarragh, Kathy Orteu, Anna Black, Daniella Byers, Kelsey J R P Szczerbowski, Daiane Warren, Ian A Rastas, Pasi Pinharanda, Ana Davey, John W Fernanda Garza, Sylvia Abondano Almeida, Diana Merrill, Richard M McMillan, W Owen Schulz, Stefan Jiggins, Chris D eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2021/01/20 PLoS Biol. 2021 Jan 19; 19(1):e3001022. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001022. eCollection 2021 Jan"