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Pheromone Production (pheromone + production)
Selected AbstractsMaking Scents: Improvement of Olfactory Profile after Botulinum Toxin-A Treatment in Healthy IndividualsDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 2007MARC HECKMANN MD BACKGROUND The axilla is particularly associated with body odor and putative pheromone production in humans. Although botulinum toxin type A (BT-A) is injected increasingly into the axillary skin to stop excessive sweating, its potential to control body odor is largely unexplored. OBJECTIVE The objective was to measure the impact of BT-A on human axillary odor in an objective and reproducible fashion. METHODS This study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 51 healthy volunteers receiving 50 U of BOTOX (Allergan, Inc.) in one axilla and placebo in the other. Odor quality was assessed by treated subjects (questionnaire) as well as by independent raters who were exposed to blinded T-shirt samples. RESULTS No major side effects occurred, and no subject withdrew from the study for medical reasons. Samples from the BT-A,treated side smelled less intense (p<.001) and better (p<.001) according to self-assessments. Likewise, independent raters found the BT-A,treated samples to smell less intense and better (p<.001). They preferred "to work together with the respective person" and found the odor "more erotic" (p<.001). CONCLUSION Side-by-side comparison of odor samples (T-shirt sniff test) by independent raters showed that axillary odor in healthy individuals is significantly more appealing after BT-A injection. [source] The role of olfactory stimuli in the location of weakened hosts by twig-infesting Pityophthorus spp.ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2001Pierluigi Bonello Summary 1. Senescing, shade-suppressed, or broken branches of Monterey pine Pinus radiata are infested by twig beetles in the genus Pityophthorus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). The studies reported here tested whether twig beetles can discriminate between healthy and pitch canker-diseased branches, whether diseased branch tips produce more ethylene than undamaged controls, and whether ethylene and other volatiles, produced by the plant in response to tissue damage, are utilised by twig beetles in host location. 2. Significantly greater numbers of twig beetles were reared from pitch canker-symptomatic than from pitch canker-asymptomatic branches of Monterey pine collected in the field. 3. Needles of Monterey pine branches inoculated with the pitch canker fungal pathogen Fusarium circinatum produced significantly higher levels of ethylene than needles of control branches, and this was evident just prior to, and during, symptom expression. 4. In trapping studies in which pheromone production was prevented, there was no evidence of attraction of twig beetles to a source of ethylene alone, to cut host branches, or to cut branches treated with the ethylene-releasing compound, ethephon. The results suggest that twig beetles identify weakened branches after landing. [source] Bioavailability of backbone cyclic PK/PBAN neuropeptide antagonists , inhibition of sex pheromone biosynthesis elicited by the natural mechanism in Heliothis peltigera femalesFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2010Aliza Hariton The bioavailability (i.e. ability to penetrate the insect cuticle, to reach the target organ and to exert bioactivity) of two backbone cyclic (BBC) pyrokinin/pheromone biosynthesis-activating neuropeptide (PK/PBAN) antagonistic peptides was tested by applying them topically to Heliothis peltigera females and monitoring the resulting inhibition of sex pheromone production elicited by the natural (endogenous) mechanism during scotophase. Peptides were applied at various time points before the onset of scotophase, in aqueous or organic solvents, and pheromone content was examined at the 5th or 6th hour of scotophase. Both peptides penetrated the cuticle very efficiently and inhibited sex pheromone biosynthesis elicited by the natural mechanism for up to 8 or 9 h after application. The degree of inhibition differed between solvents: those applied in double-distilled water (DDW) were more active than those applied in dimethylsulfoxide (inhibition by 53,73% and 15,38%, respectively, for BBC-25, and 46,67% and 36,40%, respectively for BBC-28). Peptides applied in dimethylsulfoxide and hexane exhibited slightly more persistent inhibitory activity than those applied in DDW. The solvents themselves did not affect sex pheromone production. Multiple applications (at ,2, 0, +2 and +4 h) resulted in almost complete (87%) inhibition of sex pheromone biosynthesis, compared with 52% inhibition following a single application. The present study is the first demonstration of the ability of topically applied PK/PBAN antagonists to inhibit sex pheromone biosynthesis elicited by the natural mechanism in female moths, and provides important information on the bioavailability of BBC peptides and the mechanism responsible for sex pheromone production in these insects. [source] Gq,-linked phospholipase C,1 and phospholipase C, are essential components of the pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) signal transduction cascadeINSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2010J. J. Hull Abstract Sex pheromone production for most moths is regulated by pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN). In Bombyx mori, PBAN binding triggers the opening of store-operated Ca2+ channels, suggesting the involvement of a receptor-activated phospholipase C (PLC). In this study, we found that PLC inhibitors U73122 and compound 48/80 reduced sex pheromone production and that intracellular levels of 3H-inositol phosphate species increased following PBAN stimulation. In addition, we amplified cDNAs from pheromone glands corresponding to PLC,1, PLC,4, PLC, and two G protein , subunits, Go and Gq. In vivo RNA interference-mediated knockdown analyses revealed that BmPLC,1, BmGq1, and unexpectedly, BmPLC,, are part of the PBAN signal transduction cascade. [source] Spatial distribution and differential expression of the PBAN receptor in tissues of adult Helicoverpa spp. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2007A. Rafaeli Abstract Pheromone-biosynthesis-activating neuropeptide (PBAN) regulates sex pheromone production in many female moths. PBAN-like peptides, with common FXPRLamide C-terminals are found in other insect groups where they have other functions. The ubiquity and multifunctional nature of the pyrokinin/PBAN family of peptides suggests that the PBAN receptor proteins could also be present in a variety of insect tissues with alternative functions from that of sex pheromone biosynthesis. Previously we showed the presence of the PBAN-R in Helicoverpa armigera at the protein level. In the present study we confirm the similarities between the two Helicoverpa species: armigera and zea by (1) demonstrating the presence of the receptor protein in Sf9 cells, cloned to express the HezPBAN receptor, as compared with the endogenous receptor protein, previously shown in H. armigera pheromone glands, and (2) by identifying the nucleotide sequence of the PBAN-R from mRNA of H. armigera pheromone glands. Sequences of the two Helicoverpa spp. are 98% identical with most changes taking place in the 3,-end. We demonstrate the spatial distribution of the PBAN receptor protein in membranes of H. armigera brain (Br), thoracic ganglion (TG) and ventral nerve cord (VNC). We also demonstrate the presence and differential expression of the PBAN receptor gene (using reverse transcription,polymerase chain reaction and reverse transcription,quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively) in the neural tissues (Br, TG and VNC) of adult H. armigera female moths as compared with its presence in pheromone glands. Surprisingly, the gene for the PBAN receptor is also detected in the male tissue homologous to the female pheromone gland, the aedeagus, although the protein is undetectable and PBAN does not induce physiological (pheromone production) or cellular (cyclic-adenosine monophosphate production) responses in this tissue. Our findings indicate that PBAN or PBAN-like receptors are present in the neural tissues and may represent a neurotransmitter-like function for PBAN-like peptides. In addition, the surprising discovery of the presence of the gene encoding the PBAN receptor in the male homologous tissue, but its absence at the protein level, launches opportunities for studying molecular regulation pathways and the evolution of these G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). [source] Molecular diversity of PBAN family peptides from fire ants,ARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2010Man-Yeon Choi Abstract The PBAN/Pyrokinin peptide family is a major neuropeptide family characterized with a common FXPRLamide in the C-termini. These peptides are ubiquitously distributed in the Insecta and are involved in many essential endocrinal functions, e.g., pheromone production. Previous work demonstrated the localization of PBAN in the fire ant central nervous system, and identified a new family of PBAN from the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. In this study, we identified five more PBAN/Pyrokinin genes from S. geminata, S. richteri, S. pergandii, S. carolinensis, and a hybrid of S. invicta and S. richteri. The gene sequences were used to determine the phylogenetic relationships of these species and hybrid, which compared well to the morphologically defined fire ant subgroup complexes. The putative PBAN and other peptides were determined from the amino acid sequences of the PBAN/pyrokinin genes. We summarized all known insect PBAN family neuropeptides, and for the first time constructed a phylogenetic tree based on the full amino acid sequences translated from representative PBAN cDNAs. The PBAN/pyrokinin gene is well conserved in Insecta and probably extends into the Arthropod phylum; however, translated pre-propeptides may vary and functional diversity may be retained, lost, or modified during the evolutionary process. Published 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Female sex pheromone suppression and the fate of sex-peptide-like peptides in mated moths of Helicoverpa armigeraARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2007V.K. Nagalakshmi Abstract Insect males produce accessory gland (MAG) factors that are transferred in the seminal fluid to females during copulation, and elicit changes in the mated female's behavior and physiology. Our previous studies showed that the injection of synthetic Drosophila melanogaster sex-peptide (DrmSP) into virgin females of the moth Helicoverpa armigera causes a significant inhibition of pheromone production. In this and other moth species, pheromone production, correlated with female receptivity, is under neuroendocrine control due to the circadian release of the neuropeptide PBAN. In this study, we show that PBAN, present in the hemolymph during the scotophase in females, is drastically reduced after mating. We also identify 4 DrmSP-like HPLC peaks (Peaks A, S1, S2, and B) in MAGs, with increasing levels of DrmSP immunoreactivity during the scotophase, when compared to their levels observed during the photophase. In H. armigera MAGs, a significant reduction in the pheromonostatic peak (Peak B) was already evident after 15 min of copulation, and depletion of an additional peak (Peak S2) was evident after complete mating. Peak A is also detected in female brains, increasing significantly 1 h after mating, at which time inhibition of pheromone biosynthesis also occurs. However, changes corresponding to the other MAG peaks were not detected in mated female tissues. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 64:142,155, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Lipid analysis of the sex pheromone gland of the moth Heliothis virescensARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2005S.P. Foster Abstract The sex pheromone gland of female Heliothis virescens was analyzed for fatty acid and lipid content. Base methanolysis of the gland showed a large amount of methyl (Z)-11-hexadecenoate (Z11-16:Acyl), the fatty acyl analog of the major pheromone component, (Z)-11-hexadecenal, as well as a small amount of methyl (Z)-11-octadecenoate. Methyl esters of various common fatty acids were also observed. HPTLC analysis of the glandular lipids revealed large quantities of triacylglycerols (TGs), and lesser amounts of 1,2-diacylglycerols (1,2-DGs), 2- monoacylglycerols (2-MGs), phosphatidyl ethanolamines, and phosphatidyl cholines. The greatest amount of Z11-16:Acyl in these lipids was in the TGs, with lesser amounts in the two phospholipid classes and only trace amounts in the other neutral lipids. The glands of females at various ages and photoperiodic times were extracted, fractionated into neutral and polar fractions by silica SPE, and fatty acid titers in these fractions determined. All fatty acids, but notably Z11-16:Acyl, showed significant total and neutral lipid fraction peaks at mid scotophase for 2-day-old females; a less dramatic, but significant, Z11-16:Acyl peak in the polar fraction was also observed. However, only a relatively small proportion (<50%) of this acid was recovered from the silica at all times. This "non-recoverable" Z11-16:Acyl showed a dramatic and significant peak at mid scotophase for 2-day females, corresponding roughly with maximal pheromone titer. All other acids in the gland were recovered in high proportions, and their respective "non-recoverable" titers were not different at any of the times analyzed. Based on previous work, this non-recoverable Z11-16:Acyl is likely the CoA ester. Therefore, it appears that the pheromone gland of H. virescens maintains pools of Z11-16:Acyl in both CoA ester and TG forms, which are available for biosynthesis of pheromone. These pools are greatest during maximal pheromone production when the biosynthetic enzymes, possibly the fatty acid reductase, are unable to utilize rapidly enough the quantities of Z11-16:Acyl biosynthesized. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 59:80,90, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | |||||||||||||