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Integrative and Comparative Biology Aug 2023Pheromones are chemical signals that facilitate communication between animals, and most animals use pheromones for reproduction and other forms of social behavior. The... (Review)
Review
Pheromones are chemical signals that facilitate communication between animals, and most animals use pheromones for reproduction and other forms of social behavior. The identification of key ligands and olfactory receptors used for pheromonal communication provides insight into the sensory processing of these important cues. An individual's responses to pheromones can be plastic, as physiological status modulates behavioral outputs. In this review, we outline the mechanisms for pheromone sensation and highlight physiological mechanisms that modify pheromone-guided behavior. We focus on hormones, which regulate pheromonal communication across vertebrates including fish, amphibians, and rodents. This regulation may occur in peripheral olfactory organs and the brain, but the mechanisms remain unclear. While this review centers on research in fish, we will discuss other systems to provide insight into how hormonal mechanisms function across taxa.
Topics: Animals; Pheromones; Smell; Hormones; Fishes; Perception
PubMed: 37263784
DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad049 -
Scientific Reports Aug 2021Queen pheromones have long been studied as a major factor regulating reproductive division of labor in social insects. Hitherto, only a handful of queen pheromones were...
Queen pheromones have long been studied as a major factor regulating reproductive division of labor in social insects. Hitherto, only a handful of queen pheromones were identified and their effects on workers have mostly been studied in isolation from the social context in which they operate. Our study examined the importance of behavioral and social context for the perception of queen semiochemicals by bumble bee workers. Our results indicate that a mature queen's cuticular semiochemicals are capable of inhibiting worker reproduction only when accompanied by the queen's visual presence and the offspring she produces, thus, when presented in realistic context. Queen's chemistry, queen's visual presence and presence of offspring all act to regulate worker reproduction, but none of these elements produces an inhibitory effect on its own. Our findings highlight the necessity to reconsider what constitutes a queen pheromone and suggest a new approach to the study of chemical ecology in social insects.
Topics: Animals; Bees; Hierarchy, Social; Integumentary System; Pheromones; Reproduction; Sample Size
PubMed: 34417514
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96411-7 -
Cell Reports Jun 2023Age-associated neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases are mainly caused by protein aggregation. The etiologies of these...
Age-associated neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases are mainly caused by protein aggregation. The etiologies of these neurodegenerative diseases share a chemical environment. However, how chemical cues modulate neurodegeneration remains unclear. Here, we found that in Caenorhabditis elegans, exposure to pheromones in the L1 stage accelerates neurodegeneration in adults. Perception of pheromones ascr#3 and ascr#10 is mediated by chemosensory neurons ASK and ASI. ascr#3 perceived by G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) DAF-38 in ASK activates glutamatergic transmission into AIA interneurons. ascr#10 perceived by GPCR STR-2 in ASI activates the secretion of neuropeptide NLP-1, which binds to the NPR-11 receptor in AIA. Activation of both ASI and ASK is required and sufficient to remodel neurodevelopment via AIA, which triggers insulin-like signaling and inhibits autophagy in adult neurons non-cell-autonomously. Our work reveals how pheromone perception at the early developmental stage modulates neurodegeneration in adults and provides insights into how the external environment impacts neurodegenerative diseases.
Topics: Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans; Signal Transduction; Pheromones; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; Insulin; Perception
PubMed: 37289584
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112598 -
Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology Jan 2023Cells live in a chemical environment and are able to orient towards chemical cues. Unicellular haploid fungal cells communicate by secreting pheromones to reproduce... (Review)
Review
Cells live in a chemical environment and are able to orient towards chemical cues. Unicellular haploid fungal cells communicate by secreting pheromones to reproduce sexually. In the yeast models Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, pheromonal communication activates similar pathways composed of cognate G-protein-coupled receptors and downstream small GTPase Cdc42 and MAP kinase cascades. Local pheromone release and sensing, at a mobile surface polarity patch, underlie spatial gradient interpretation to form pairs between two cells of distinct mating types. Concentration of secretion at the point of cell-cell contact then leads to local cell wall digestion for cell fusion, forming a diploid zygote that prevents further fusion attempts. A number of asymmetries between mating types may promote efficiency of the system. In this review, we present our current knowledge of pheromone signaling in the two model yeasts, with an emphasis on how cells decode the pheromone signal spatially and ultimately fuse together. Though overall pathway architectures are similar in the two species, their large evolutionary distance allows to explore how conceptually similar solutions to a general biological problem can arise from divergent molecular components.
Topics: Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; Cell Fusion; Signal Transduction; Schizosaccharomyces; Pheromones
PubMed: 35148940
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.02.003 -
Insect Biochemistry and Molecular... Nov 2023Olfactory perception of pheromones in insects involves odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), relatively small proteins (ca.110-240 amino acid residues) that can bind...
Olfactory perception of pheromones in insects involves odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), relatively small proteins (ca.110-240 amino acid residues) that can bind reversibly to behaviourally active olfactory ligands. In this study, we investigated the binding in silico and in vitro of the aphid sex pheromone components (1R,4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactol and (4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactone and the aphid alarm pheromone (E)-β-farnesene by OBPs from the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. Screening of protein models of ApisOBPs1-11 with the aphid sex pheromone components suggested that ApisOPB6 was a candidate. Fluorescence assays using ApisOBP6 suggested that ApisOBP6 was able to bind both sex pheromone components and discriminate from the aphid alarm pheromone and the generic plant compound (R/S)-linalool. Saturation transfer difference NMR experiments with ApisOBP6 yielded results consistent to those from the fluorescence experiments, with a clear interaction between ApisOBP6 and (4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactone. These results describe a novel interaction and potential function for ApisOBP6, point to pre-receptor odorant discrimination by OBPs, and provide a platform for investigating the function of other aphid olfactory proteins involved in aphid chemical ecology.
Topics: Animals; Pheromones; Sex Attractants; Aphids; Pisum sativum
PubMed: 37827436
DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2023.104026 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Dec 2022Sex pheromones are pivotal for insect reproduction. However, the mechanism of sex pheromone communication remains enigmatic in hymenopteran parasitoids. Here we have...
Sex pheromones are pivotal for insect reproduction. However, the mechanism of sex pheromone communication remains enigmatic in hymenopteran parasitoids. Here we have identified the sex pheromone and elucidated the olfactory basis of sex pheromone communication in (Ichneumonidae), a solitary larval endoparasitoid of over 30 lepidopteran pests. Using coupled gas chromatography-electroantennogram detection, we identified two female-derived pheromone components, tetradecanal (14:Ald) and 2-heptadecanone (2-Hep) (1:4.6), eliciting strong antennal responses from males but weak responses from females. We observed that males but not females were attracted to both single components and the blend. The hexane-washed female cadavers failed to arouse males, and replenishing 14:Ald and 2-Hep could partially restore the sexual attraction of males. We further expressed six male-biased odorant receptors in T1 neurons and found that CchlOR18 and CchlOR47 were selectively tuned to 14:Ald and 2-Hep, respectively. To verify the biological significance of this data, we knocked down CchlOR18 and CchlOR47 individually or together in vivo and show that the attraction of to their respective ligands was abolished. Moreover, the parasitoids defective in either of the receptors were less likely to court and copulate. Finally, we show that the sex pheromone and ()-jasmone, a potent female attractant, can synergistically affect behaviors of virgin males and virgin females and ultimately increase the parasitic efficiency of . Our study provides new insights into the molecular mechanism of sex pheromone communication in that may permit manipulation of parasitoid behavior for pest control.
Topics: Male; Animals; Sex Attractants; Insecta; Communication; Pheromones; Receptors, Odorant; Drosophila
PubMed: 36442117
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2215442119 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Mar 2021Honeybee swarms are a landmark example of collective behavior. To become a coherent swarm, bees locate their queen by tracking her pheromones. But how can distant...
Honeybee swarms are a landmark example of collective behavior. To become a coherent swarm, bees locate their queen by tracking her pheromones. But how can distant individuals exploit these chemical signals, which decay rapidly in space and time? Here, we combine a behavioral assay with the machine vision detection of organism location and scenting (pheromone propagation via wing fanning) behavior to track the search and aggregation dynamics of the honeybee L. We find that bees collectively create a scenting-mediated communication network by arranging in a specific spatial distribution where there is a characteristic distance between individuals and directional signaling away from the queen. To better understand such a flow-mediated directional communication strategy, we developed an agent-based model where bee agents obeying simple, local behavioral rules exist in a flow environment in which the chemical signals diffuse and decay. Our model serves as a guide to exploring how physical parameters affect the collective scenting behavior and shows that increased directional bias in scenting leads to a more efficient aggregation process that avoids local equilibrium configurations of isotropic (nondirectional and axisymmetric) communication, such as small bee clusters that persist throughout the simulation. Our results highlight an example of extended classical stigmergy: Rather than depositing static information in the environment, individual bees locally sense and globally manipulate the physical fields of chemical concentration and airflow.
Topics: Animal Communication; Animals; Bees; Female; High-Throughput Screening Assays; Machine Learning; Models, Biological; Nesting Behavior; Pheromones; Smell; Spatio-Temporal Analysis
PubMed: 33758099
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2011916118 -
Scientific Reports Apr 2022Female moths emit sex pheromone to attracts males, and although they are not attracted to their own sex pheromone, they appear to detect it as it affects their behavior....
Female moths emit sex pheromone to attracts males, and although they are not attracted to their own sex pheromone, they appear to detect it as it affects their behavior. In order to elucidate the mechanism of pheromone "autodetection" we compared responses of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) of male and female Grapholita molesta, a species with reported pheromone autodetection. Two concentrations of the major (Z8-12:Ac) and minor (E8-12:Ac) sex pheromone components, a plant-volatile blend containing methyl salicylate, terpinyl acetate and (E)-β-farnesene, and the male-produced hair-pencil (i.e., courtship) pheromone (ethyl trans-cinnamate) were tested in 45 male and 305 female ORNs. Hierarchical cluster analysis showed radically different peripheral olfactory systems between sexes that could be linked to their specific roles. In males 63% of the ORNs were tuned specifically to the major or minor female sex pheromone components, and 4% to the plant volatile blend, while the remaining 33% showed unspecific responses to the stimulus panel. In females 3% of the ORNs were specifically tuned to the male hair-pencil pheromone, 6% to the plant volatile blend, 91% were unspecific, and no ORN was tuned their own sex pheromone components. The lack of sex pheromone-specific ORNs in females suggests that they are not able to discriminate pheromone blends, and thus pheromone autodetection is unlikely in this species. We discuss our results in the context of the methodological limitations inherent to odor stimulation studies.
Topics: Animals; Female; Fruit; Male; Moths; Olfactory Receptor Neurons; Pheromones; Plants; Sex Attractants
PubMed: 35488118
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10954-x -
The Journal of Cell Biology Feb 2017Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways are conserved from yeast to man and regulate a variety of cellular processes, including proliferation and... (Review)
Review
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways are conserved from yeast to man and regulate a variety of cellular processes, including proliferation and differentiation. Recent developments show how MAPK pathways perform exquisite spatial and temporal signal processing and underscores the importance of studying the dynamics of signaling pathways to understand their physiological response. The importance of dynamic mechanisms that process input signals into graded downstream responses has been demonstrated in the pheromone-induced and osmotic stress-induced MAPK pathways in yeast and in the mammalian extracellular signal-regulated kinase MAPK pathway. Particularly, recent studies in the yeast pheromone response have shown how positive feedback generates switches, negative feedback enables gradient detection, and coherent feedforward regulation underlies cellular memory. More generally, a new wave of quantitative single-cell studies has begun to elucidate how signaling dynamics determine cell physiology and represents a paradigm shift from descriptive to predictive biology.
Topics: Animals; Cell Polarity; Enzyme Activation; Feedback, Physiological; Humans; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Pheromones; Phosphorylation; Saccharomycetales; Time Factors
PubMed: 28043970
DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201609124 -
Metabolic Engineering Jul 2022Biologically produced wax esters can fulfil different industrial purposes. These functionalities almost drove the sperm whale to extinction from hunting. After the ban...
Biologically produced wax esters can fulfil different industrial purposes. These functionalities almost drove the sperm whale to extinction from hunting. After the ban on hunting, there is a niche in the global market for biolubricants with properties similar to spermaceti. Wax esters can also serve as a mechanism for producing insect sex pheromone fatty alcohols. Pheromone-based mating disruption strategies are in high demand to replace the toxic pesticides in agriculture and manage insect plagues threatening our food and fiber reserves. In this study we set out to investigate the possibilities of in planta assembly of wax esters, for specific applications, through transient expression of various mix-and-match combinations of genes in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Our synthetic biology designs were outlined in order to pivot plant lipid metabolism into producing wax esters with targeted fatty acyl and fatty alcohols moieties. Through this approach we managed to obtain industrially important spermaceti-like wax esters enriched in medium-chain fatty acyl and/or fatty alcohol moieties of wax esters. Via employment of plant codon-optimized moth acyl-CoA desaturases we also managed to capture unusual, unsaturated fatty alcohol and fatty acyl moieties, structurally similar to moth pheromone compounds, in plant-accumulated wax esters. Comparison between outcomes of different experimental designs identified targets for stable transformation to accumulate specialized wax esters and helped us to recognize possible bottlenecks of such accumulation.
Topics: Esters; Fatty Alcohols; Pheromones; Plant Leaves; Nicotiana; Waxes
PubMed: 35598886
DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2022.05.005