Scolytidae isoprenoid pheromones

Wiygul et al. (1982) reported the site of pheromone biosynthesis in male boll weevils as the fat body. To date this is the only insect where the fat body has been proposed as a site for pheromone biosynthesis, and it is an obvious contradiction that in most species of the closely related Scolytidae, isoprenoid pheromone biosynthesis has been reported to occur in the alimentary canal (see section 6.6.2). Wiygul et al. (1982) observed that the level of pheromone production... 

Figure 6.9 Examples of pheromone components of bark beetles (Scolytidae) and ambrosia beetles (Scolytidae and Platypodidae) classified by likely biosynthetic origin (based on Francke and Schulz, 1999). (A) References for identification and/or behavioral activity of isoprenoid pheromone compounds are as follows-. 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (Bakke efa/., 1977 Giesen etal., 1984 Klimetzek etal., 1989a Lanne etal., 1989), 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol (Stoakley etal., 1978 Bowers and Borden, 1990 Bowers etal, 1991 Zhang efa/., 2000), 3-methyl-1-butanol (Renw ick etal, 1977), 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutan-2-one (Francke and Heeman, 1974 Francke etal 1974), ipsenol and ipsdienol...

Figure 6.10 De novo biosynthesis of isoprenoid pheromone components by bark and ambrosia beetles through the mevalonate biosynthetic pathway. The end products are hemiterpenoid and monoterpenoid pheromone products common throughout the Scolytidae and Platypodidae (Figure 6.9A). The biosynthesis is regulated by juvenile hormone III (JH III), which is a sesquiterpenoid product of the same pathway. The stereochemistry of JH III is indicated as described in Schooley and Baker (1985). Although insects do not biosynthesize sterols de novo, they do produce a variety of derivatives of isopentenyl diphosphate, geranyl diphosphate, and farnesyl diphosphate. Figure adapted from Seybold and Tittiger (2003).

Figure 6.11 Biosyntheses of isoprenoid pheromone components by bark and ambrosia beetles from host conifer monoterpenes. (A) Conversion by the male California fivespined ips, Ips paraconfusus Lanier (Coleoptera Scolytidae), of myrcene from the xylem and phloem oleoresin of ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Laws., to (4S)-(+)-ipsdienol and (4S)-(-)-ipsenol, components of the aggregation pheromone (Hendry et al., 1980). (B) Conversion by male and female I. paraconfusus of (1 S,5S)-(-)-a-pinene (2,6,6-trimethyl-bicyclo[3.1,1]hept-2-ene) from the xylem and phloem oleoresin of P. ponderosa to (1 S,2S,5S)-(+)-c/s-verbenol (c/s-4,6,6-trimethyl-bicyclo[3.1,1]hept-3-en-2-ol), an aggregation pheromone synergist and of (1 R,5R)-(+)-a-pinene to (1 fl,2S,5fl)-(+)-frans-verbenol (frans-4,6,6-trimethyl-bicyclo[3.1,1]hept-3-en-2-ol), a compound of unknown behavioral activity for /. paraconfusus. Male and female western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte (Coleoptera Scolytidae), convert (1 S,5S)-(-)-a-pinene to (1S,2ft,5S)-(-)-frans-verbenol, an aggregation pheromone interruptant and (1R,5R)-(+)-a-pinene to (1 R,2S,5R)-(+)-frans-verbenol, a compound of...

Seybold S. J. and Tittiger C. (2003) Biochemistry and molecular biology of de novo isoprenoid pheromone production in the Scolytidae. Anna. Rev. Entomol. 48, 425-453. 

TILLMAN, J.A., LU, F., STAEHLE, L., DONALDSON, Z DWINELL, S.C., TITTIGER, C., HALL, G.M., STORER, A.J., BLOMQUIST, G.J., SEYBOLD, S.J., Juvenile hormone regulates de novo isoprenoid aggregation pheromone biosynthesis in pine bark beetles, Ips spp. (Coleoptera Scolytidae), through transcriptional control of HMG-CoA reductase, J. Chem. Ecol, 2004,30, 2335-2358. 

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