Gamete Attraction

The Chemistry of Gamete Attraction Chemical Structures, Biosynthesis, and (A)biotic Degradation of Algal Pheromones... 

Earlier, we encountered two examples of chemical communication. First, a small family of hydrocarbons secreted by the female brown algae gamete attracts a free-swimming male gamete. Fertilization follows. Second, bombykol, the sex attractant of the female silkworm moth, is a powerful lure for the male moth. What we need to do now is to expand on these examples. Let s begin with olfaction and taste in mammals. Later, we will move to the other end of the evolutionary scale and start with simple, unicellular organisms (the bacteria) and work our way back up. 

Boland, W., The chemistry of gamete attraction chemical structures, biosynthesis and (a)biotic degradation of algal pheremones, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 92, 37, 1995. 

Jaenicke, L., Chemical signal transmission by gamete attractants in brown algae, in Biochemistry of Sensory Functions (L. Jae-... 

Boland, W., Jaenicke, L., and Muller, D.G. (1985) Viridiene - the male gamete attractant of the brown alga Syringoderma phinneyi - has 3R,4S configuration. Naturwissenschaften, 72, 147-148. 

Abraham, W.D. and Cohen, T. (1991) Biogenetically inspired stereospecific synthesis of the dienylvinylcyclopropane gamete attractant dictyopterene B.J. Am. Chem. Soc., 113,2313-2314. 

Wirth, D., Boland. W and Mueller, D.G. (1992) Absolute configuration and synthesis of (+)gamete-attracting pheromone of the brown alga Perithalia caudata (Phaeophyceae). Helv. Chim. Acta, 75, 751-758. 

Hertweck, C. and Boland, W. (1997) Highly efficient synthesis of ( )-lamoxirene, the gamete-releasing and gamete-attracting... 

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