Evolution of Moth Sex Pheromones Via Ancestral Genes

Overview

Journal Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Specialty Science

Date 2002 Sep 19

PMID 12237399

Citations 113

Authors

Wendell L Roelofs

Weitian Liu

Guixia Hao

Hongmei Jiao

Alejandro P Rooney

Charles E Linn Jr

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Mate finding in most moth species involves long-distance signaling via female-emitted sex pheromones. There is a great diversity of pheromone structures used throughout the Lepidoptera, even among closely related species. The conundrum is how signal divergence has occurred. With strong normalizing selection pressure on blend composition and response preferences, it is improbable that shifts to pheromones of diverse structures occur through adaptive changes in small steps. Here, we present data supporting the hypothesis that a major shift in the pheromone of an Ostrinia species occurred by activation of a nonfunctional desaturase gene transcript present in the pheromone gland. We also demonstrate the existence of rare males that respond to the new pheromone blend. Their presence would allow for asymmetric tracking of male response to the new blend and, thus, evolution of an Ostrinia species with structurally different sex pheromone components.

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