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Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Title:		"Frontalin pheromone biosynthesis in the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae, and the role of isoprenyl diphosphate synthases"
Author(s):		Keeling CI; Chiu CC; Aw T; Li M; Henderson H; Tittiger C; Weng HB; Blomquist GJ; Bohlmann J;
Address:		"Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1A4"
Journal Title:		Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Year:		2013
Volume:		20131028
Issue:		47
Page Number:		18838 - 18843
DOI:		10.1073/pnas.1316498110
ISSN/ISBN:		1091-6490 (Electronic) 0027-8424 (Print) 0027-8424 (Linking)
Abstract:		"The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) is the most destructive pest of western North American pine forests. Adult males produce frontalin, an eight-carbon antiaggregation pheromone, via the mevalonate pathway, as part of several pheromones that initiate and modulate the mass attack of host trees. Frontalin acts as a pheromone, attractant, or kairomone in most Dendroctonus species, other insects, and even elephants. 6-Methylhept-6-en-2-one, a frontalin precursor, is hypothesized to originate from 10-carbon geranyl diphosphate (GPP), 15-carbon farnesyl diphosphate (FPP), or 20-carbon geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) via a dioxygenase- or cytochrome P450-mediated carbon-carbon bond cleavage. To investigate the role of isoprenyl diphosphate synthases in pheromone biosynthesis, we characterized a bifunctional GPP/FPP synthase and a GGPP synthase in the mountain pine beetle. The ratio of GPP to FPP produced by the GPP/FPP synthase was highly dependent on the ratio of the substrates isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate used in the assay. Transcript levels in various tissues and life stages suggested that GGPP rather than GPP or FPP is used as a precursor to frontalin. Reduction of transcript levels by RNA interference of the isoprenyl diphosphate synthases identified GGPP synthase as having the largest effect on frontalin production, suggesting that frontalin is derived from a 20-carbon isoprenoid precursor rather than from the 10- or 15-carbon precursors"
Keywords:		"Analysis of Variance Animals Base Sequence Biosynthetic Pathways/*physiology Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic/*metabolism Cloning, Molecular Coleoptera/enzymology/*metabolism Computational Biology Farnesyltranstransferase/*genetics Gas Chromatograp;"
Notes:		"MedlineKeeling, Christopher I Chiu, Christine C Aw, Tidiane Li, Maria Henderson, Hannah Tittiger, Claus Weng, Hong-Biao Blomquist, Gary J Bohlmann, Joerg eng P20 RR016464/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/ P20 RR-016464/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/ CAPMC/CIHR/Canada Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2013/10/30 Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Nov 19; 110(47):18838-43. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1316498110. Epub 2013 Oct 28"