Regulation of Isoprenoid Pheromone Biosynthesis in Bumblebee Males
Language English Country Germany Media print-electronic
Document type Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Keywords
- Bombus spp., biosynthesis, gene expression, isoprenoids, pheromones, transcriptional regulation,
- MeSH
- Pheromones biosynthesis chemistry MeSH
- Insect Proteins genetics metabolism MeSH
- Contig Mapping MeSH
- Gene Expression Regulation MeSH
- RNA chemistry isolation & purification metabolism MeSH
- Sequence Analysis, RNA MeSH
- Terpenes chemistry metabolism MeSH
- Bees chemistry genetics metabolism MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Pheromones MeSH
- Insect Proteins MeSH
- RNA MeSH
- Terpenes MeSH
Males of the closely related species Bombus terrestris and Bombus lucorum attract conspecific females by completely different marking pheromones. MP of B. terrestris and B. lucorum pheromones contain mainly isoprenoid (ISP) compounds and fatty acid derivatives, respectively. Here, we studied the regulation of ISP biosynthesis in both bumblebees. RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analyses indicated that acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase (AACT), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR), and farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS) transcripts are abundant in the B. terrestris labial gland. Maximal abundance of these transcripts correlated well with AACT enzymatic activity detected in the LG extracts. In contrast, transcript abundances of AACT, HMGR, and FPPS in B. lucorum were low, and AACT activity was not detected in LGs. These results suggest that transcriptional regulation plays a key role in the control of ISP biosynthetic gene expression and ISP pheromone biosynthesis in bumblebee males.
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