Identification of a Neuropeptide Hormone That Regulates Sex Pheromone Production in Female Moths

Abstract

A pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) hormone that controls sex pheromone production in female moths was identified from the brain-subesophageal ganglion complexes of the adult corn earworm, Heliothis zea. PBAN has 33 amino acid residues and a molecular weight of 3900. Its amino acid sequence has no significant homology with any of the fully characterized peptide hormones. The synthetic peptide, at a dose of between 2 and 4 picomoles, induced production of a normal quantity of sex pheromone in ligated H. zea females. The peptide also induced pheromone production in six other species of moths, thus indicating that this or similar peptides may be responsible for the regulation of pheromone production in moths.

Identification of G protein-coupled receptors for Drosophila PRXamide peptides, CCAP, corazonin, and AKH supports a theory of ligand-receptor coevolution

“…In invertebrates, functions for many of the PRXamide peptides remain uncertain, biological activity having been inferred from standard assays for visceral muscle contraction. For example, early demonstrations of activity for the pyrokinins (FXPRXa) were based on stimulation of gut, oviduct, and heart (5, 24), whereas more recent data implicating them in pheromone biosynthesis (6) and cuticle melanization (7) are more suggestive of authentic physiological functions. The FPRXa peptides, including small cardioactive peptides and cardioacceleratory peptide (CAP2b), were isolated based on their activity in heartbeat modulation (8,9) but may be involved in water and ion transport (33,34,36).…”

EFFECT OF PBAN ON PHEROMONE PRODUCTION BY MATED Heliothis virescens AND Heliothis subflexa FEMALES

“…DISCUSSION Our results demonstrate that mated Hs and Hv females injected with 1 pmol PBAN during photophase produced pheromone at levels and ratios comparable to those produced by virgin females during the scotophase. It is likely, based on dose-response studies (Raina et al, 1989;Abernathy et al, 1996), that injection of more PBAN would have stimulated mated females to produce more pheromone. Our results also demonstrate that PBAN-induced mated females produce and accumulate pheromone of comparable blend quality to that of virgin females.…”

“…However, all are laborious, time-consuming, expensive, or preclude storage of many samples prior to pheromone analysis. Because pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) stimulates sex pheromone production in female moths (Raina et al, 1989), it appeared promising for determining the pheromone phenotype of individual females by stimulating pheromone production after oviposition. Indeed, a common assay of its activity is to induce pheromone production during the photophase, when the pheromone titer is normally minimal in nocturnal moths (reviews: Rafaeli, 2002;Rafaeli and Jurenka, 2003).…”

The pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) receptor of Heliothis virescens: Identification, functional expression, and structure–activity relationships of ligand analogs

“…In some butterfly and moth species, synthesis and release of pheromones are regulated by pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptides (PBANs). The first PBANs identified from brain and subesophageal ganglia contain 33 or 34 amino acids, amidated at the C-terminus [5,14,16,24,27]. Despite significant advances over the last decades [4,10], many questions regarding the precise functional roles of PBANs remain.…”