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Insect Biochem Mol Biol

Title:		"Biosynthesis of ethyl oleate, a primer pheromone, in the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.)"
Author(s):		Castillo C; Chen H; Graves C; Maisonnasse A; Le Conte Y; Plettner E;
Address:		"Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 Canada. cac23@sfu.ca"
Journal Title:		Insect Biochem Mol Biol
Year:		2012
Volume:		20120303
Issue:		6
Page Number:		404 - 416
DOI:		10.1016/j.ibmb.2012.02.002
ISSN/ISBN:		1879-0240 (Electronic) 0965-1748 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Honey bees undergo a physiological transition from nursing to foraging approximately 21 days after adult emergence. This transition is delayed by ethyl oleate (EO), a primer pheromone produced by foragers when exposed to ethanol from fermented nectar. We demonstrate here that two secreted alpha/beta-hydrolases (BeeBase ID: GB11403 and GB13365) are responsible for the reversible esterification of ethanol with oleic acid, giving EO. Expression of hydrolase GB11403 was shown to be significantly up-regulated in foragers, relative to nurses. Tissue perfusion experiments with labeled substrates consistently localized the highest level of EO production in the head, whereas in situ imaging revealed expression of relevant EO biosynthetic genes and enzymatic activity along the esophagus, the site of ethanol exposure during nectar intake. Both alpha/beta-hydrolases were expressed in Pichia pastoris, purified and were shown produce EO in vitro. Experiments with live bees fed ethanol demonstrated that EO formed in regurgitate accumulates in the honey crop and exudes to the exoskeleton, from where it exerts its primer effect on younger bees"
Keywords:		"Amino Acid Sequence Animals Bees/genetics/*metabolism Cloning, Molecular Ethanol/*metabolism Fatty Acids/*metabolism Genome, Insect In Situ Hybridization Insect Proteins/genetics/*metabolism Molecular Sequence Data Naphthalenes Oleic Acids/*biosynthesis P;"
Notes:		"MedlineCastillo, Carlos Chen, Hao Graves, Carolyn Maisonnasse, Alban Le Conte, Yves Plettner, Erika eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2012/03/13 Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2012 Jun; 42(6):404-16. doi: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2012.02.002. Epub 2012 Mar 3"