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Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Title:		Biosynthesis of the Caenorhabditis elegans dauer pheromone
Author(s):		Butcher RA; Ragains JR; Li W; Ruvkun G; Clardy J; Mak HY;
Address:		"Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA"
Journal Title:		Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Year:		2009
Volume:		20090127
Issue:		6
Page Number:		1875 - 1879
DOI:		10.1073/pnas.0810338106
ISSN/ISBN:		1091-6490 (Electronic) 0027-8424 (Print) 0027-8424 (Linking)
Abstract:		"To sense its population density and to trigger entry into the stress-resistant dauer larval stage, Caenorhabditis elegans uses the dauer pheromone, which consists of ascaroside derivatives with short, fatty acid-like side chains. Although the dauer pheromone has been studied for 25 years, its biosynthesis is completely uncharacterized. The daf-22 mutant is the only known mutant defective in dauer pheromone production. Here, we show that daf-22 encodes a homolog of human sterol carrier protein SCPx, which catalyzes the final step in peroxisomal fatty acid beta-oxidation. We also show that dhs-28, which encodes a homolog of the human d-bifunctional protein that acts just upstream of SCPx, is also required for pheromone production. Long-term daf-22 and dhs-28 cultures develop dauer-inducing activity by accumulating less active, long-chain fatty acid ascaroside derivatives. Thus, daf-22 and dhs-28 are required for the biosynthesis of the short-chain fatty acid-derived side chains of the dauer pheromone and link dauer pheromone production to metabolic state"
Keywords:		"Animals Caenorhabditis elegans/*metabolism/physiology Carrier Proteins Fatty Acids/biosynthesis/chemistry Humans Metabolic Networks and Pathways Oxidation-Reduction Pheromones/*biosynthesis Sequence Homology, Amino Acid;"
Notes:		"MedlineButcher, Rebecca A Ragains, Justin R Li, Weiqing Ruvkun, Gary Clardy, Jon Mak, Ho Yi eng GM077943/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ F32 GM077943/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ R01 CA024487-30/CA/NCI NIH HHS/ R01 CA024487/CA/NCI NIH HHS/ R01 CA024487-29/CA/NCI NIH HHS/ R01 DK070147/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ CA24487/CA/NCI NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2009/01/29 Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Feb 10; 106(6):1875-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0810338106. Epub 2009 Jan 27"