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Cell Cycle (Georgetown, Tex.) Jul 2020Budding yeast, , has been widely used as a model system to study cellular signaling in response to internal and external cues. Yeast was among the first organisms in... (Review)
Review
Budding yeast, , has been widely used as a model system to study cellular signaling in response to internal and external cues. Yeast was among the first organisms in which the architecture, feedback mechanisms and physiological responses of various MAP kinase signaling cascades were studied in detail. Although these MAP kinase pathways are activated by different signals and elicit diverse cellular responses, such as adaptation to stress and mating, they function as an interconnected signaling network, as they influence each other and, in some cases, even share components. Indeed, various stress signaling pathways interfere with pheromone signaling that triggers a distinct cellular differentiation program. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for this crosstalk are still poorly understood. Here, we review the general topology of the yeast MAP kinase signaling network and highlight recent and new data revealing how conflicting intrinsic and extrinsic signals are interpreted to orchestrate appropriate cellular responses.
Topics: Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Pheromones; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; Saccharomycetales; Signal Transduction; Time Factors
PubMed: 32552303
DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2020.1779469 -
Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences :... Feb 2018The sense of smell enables insects to recognize and discriminate a broad range of volatile chemicals in their environment originating from prey, host plants and... (Review)
Review
The sense of smell enables insects to recognize and discriminate a broad range of volatile chemicals in their environment originating from prey, host plants and conspecifics. These olfactory cues are received by olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) that relay information about food sources, oviposition sites and mates to the brain and thus elicit distinct odor-evoked behaviors. Research over the last decades has greatly advanced our knowledge concerning the molecular basis underlying the reception of odorous compounds and the mechanisms of signal transduction in OSNs. The emerging picture clearly indicates that OSNs of insects recognize odorants and pheromones by means of ligand-binding membrane proteins encoded by large and diverse families of receptor genes. In contrast, the mechanisms of the chemo-electrical transduction process are not fully understood; the present status suggests a contribution of ionotropic as well as metabotropic mechanisms. In this review, we will summarize current knowledge on the peripheral mechanisms of odor sensing in insects focusing on olfactory receptors and their specific role in the recognition and transduction of odorant and pheromone signals by OSNs.
Topics: Animals; Insecta; Odorants; Olfactory Receptor Neurons; Pheromones; Receptors, Odorant; Signal Transduction; Smell
PubMed: 28828501
DOI: 10.1007/s00018-017-2627-5 -
Parasites & Vectors Nov 2016In this paper we review the natural history of pheromone communication and the current diversity of aggregation-sex pheromones in the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis.... (Review)
Review
In this paper we review the natural history of pheromone communication and the current diversity of aggregation-sex pheromones in the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis. This species complex is the main vector of Leishmania infantum, the agent of visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas. The identification of variation in pheromone chemotypes combined with molecular and sound analyses have all contributed to our understanding of the extent of divergence among cryptic members of this complex. The importance of chemical signals as pre-mating barriers and drivers of speciation is discussed. Moreover, the importance of aggregation-sex pheromones as sexually selected signals is highlighted with evidence from the literature suggesting their potential role in species and mate recognition as well as mate assessment. The distinct evolutionary forces possibly involved are briefly reviewed and discussed in the context of this intriguing insect.
Topics: Animals; Insect Vectors; Psychodidae; Sex Attractants; Sexual Behavior, Animal
PubMed: 27842601
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1866-x -
Annual Review of Genetics Nov 2017Bacteria use diffusible chemical messengers, termed pheromones, to coordinate gene expression and behavior among cells in a community by a process known as quorum... (Review)
Review
Bacteria use diffusible chemical messengers, termed pheromones, to coordinate gene expression and behavior among cells in a community by a process known as quorum sensing. Pheromones of many gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus and Streptococcus, are small, linear peptides secreted from cells and subsequently detected by sensory receptors such as those belonging to the large family of RRNPP proteins. These proteins are cytoplasmic pheromone receptors sharing a structurally similar pheromone-binding domain that functions allosterically to regulate receptor activity. X-ray crystal structures of prototypical RRNPP members have provided atomic-level insights into their mechanism and regulation by pheromones. This review provides an overview of RRNPP prototype signaling; describes the structure-function of this protein family, which is spread widely among gram-positive bacteria; and suggests approaches to target RRNPP systems in order to manipulate beneficial and harmful bacterial behaviors.
Topics: Bacillus; Bacterial Proteins; Biological Transport; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Models, Molecular; Peptides; Pheromones; Phylogeny; Quorum Sensing; Receptors, Pheromone; Signal Transduction; Streptococcus; Structure-Activity Relationship; Trans-Activators
PubMed: 28876981
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-120116-023507 -
Journal of Chemical Ecology Sep 2018Chemicals released into the environment by food, predators and conspecifics play critical roles in Drosophila reproduction. Females and males live in an environment full... (Review)
Review
Chemicals released into the environment by food, predators and conspecifics play critical roles in Drosophila reproduction. Females and males live in an environment full of smells, whose molecules communicate to them the availability of food, potential mates, competitors or predators. Volatile chemicals derived from fruit, yeast growing on the fruit, and flies already present on the fruit attract Drosophila, concentrating flies at food sites, where they will also mate. Species-specific cuticular hydrocarbons displayed on female Drosophila as they mature are sensed by males and act as pheromones to stimulate mating by conspecific males and inhibit heterospecific mating. The pheromonal profile of a female is also responsive to her nutritional environment, providing an honest signal of her fertility potential. After mating, cuticular and semen hydrocarbons transferred by the male change the female's chemical profile. These molecules make the female less attractive to other males, thus protecting her mate's sperm investment. Females have evolved the capacity to counteract this inhibition by ejecting the semen hydrocarbon (along with the rest of the remaining ejaculate) a few hours after mating. Although this ejection can temporarily restore the female's attractiveness, shortly thereafter another male pheromone, a seminal peptide, decreases the female's propensity to re-mate, thus continuing to protect the male's investment. Females use olfaction and taste sensing to select optimal egg-laying sites, integrating cues for the availability of food for her offspring, and the presence of other flies and of harmful species. We argue that taking into account evolutionary considerations such as sexual conflict, and the ecological conditions in which flies live, is helpful in understanding the role of highly species-specific pheromones and blends thereof, as well as an individual's response to the chemical cues in its environment.
Topics: Animals; Cues; Drosophila melanogaster; Female; Hydrocarbons; Reproduction; Semen; Sex Attractants; Sexual Behavior, Animal; Species Specificity
PubMed: 29557077
DOI: 10.1007/s10886-018-0947-z -
Biomolecules Mar 2022Cells' ability to track chemical gradients is integral to many biological phenomena, including fertilization, development, accessing nutrients, and combating infection....
Cells' ability to track chemical gradients is integral to many biological phenomena, including fertilization, development, accessing nutrients, and combating infection. Mating of the yeast provides a tractable model to understand how cells interpret the spatial information in chemical gradients. Mating yeast of the two different mating types secrete distinct peptide pheromones, called -factor and α-factor, to communicate with potential partners. Spatial gradients of pheromones are decoded to guide mobile polarity sites so that polarity sites in mating partners align towards each other, as a prerequisite for cell-cell fusion and zygote formation. In ascomycetes including , one pheromone is prenylated (-factor) while the other is not (α-factor). The difference in physical properties between the pheromones, combined with associated differences in mechanisms of secretion and extracellular pheromone metabolism, suggested that the pheromones might differ in the spatial information that they convey to potential mating partners. However, as mating appears to be isogamous in this species, it is not clear why any such signaling difference would be advantageous. Here we report assays that directly track movement of the polarity site in each partner as a way to understand the spatial information conveyed by each pheromone. Our findings suggest that both pheromones convey very similar information. We speculate that the different pheromones were advantageous in ancestral species with asymmetric mating systems and may represent an evolutionary vestige in yeasts that mate isogamously.
Topics: Ascomycota; Pheromones; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 35454091
DOI: 10.3390/biom12040502 -
Journal of Chemical Ecology Sep 2016As global biodiversity declines, biodiversity and conservation have become ever more important research topics. Research in chemical ecology for conservation purposes... (Review)
Review
As global biodiversity declines, biodiversity and conservation have become ever more important research topics. Research in chemical ecology for conservation purposes has not adapted to address this need. During the last 10-15 years, only a few insect pheromones have been developed for biodiversity and conservation studies, including the identification and application of pheromones specifically for population monitoring. These investigations, supplemented with our knowledge from decades of studying pest insects, demonstrate that monitoring with pheromones and other semiochemicals can be applied widely for conservation of rare and threatened insects. Here, I summarize ongoing conservation research, and outline potential applications of chemical ecology and pheromone-based monitoring to studies of insect biodiversity and conservation research. Such applications include monitoring of insect population dynamics and distribution changes, including delineation of current ranges, the tracking of range expansions and contractions, and determination of their underlying causes. Sensitive and selective monitoring systems can further elucidate the importance of insect dispersal and landscape movements for conservation. Pheromone-based monitoring of indicator species will also be useful in identifying biodiversity hotspots, and in characterizing general changes in biodiversity in response to landscape, climatic, or other environmental changes.
Topics: Animal Distribution; Animals; Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecosystem; Endangered Species; Insecta; Pheromones; Population Density
PubMed: 27624066
DOI: 10.1007/s10886-016-0753-4 -
ELife Nov 2014A beetle pheromone that lures nematode worms to an insect host can also stop their development or even kill them outright.
A beetle pheromone that lures nematode worms to an insect host can also stop their development or even kill them outright.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Coleoptera; Host-Parasite Interactions; Nematoda; Pheromones
PubMed: 25422917
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.05259 -
ELife Jul 2017Passive mechanisms of mate guarding are used by males to promote sperm precedence with little cost, but these tactics can be disadvantageous for their mates and other...
Passive mechanisms of mate guarding are used by males to promote sperm precedence with little cost, but these tactics can be disadvantageous for their mates and other males. Mated females of the plant bug are rendered temporarily unattractive by seminal fluids containing myristyl acetate and geranylgeranyl acetate. These antiaphrodisiac pheromones are gradually released from the female's gonopore, declining until they no longer suppress male courtship. Because starting quantities of these compounds can vary widely, the repellant signal becomes less reliable over time. Evidence was found of a complimentary mechanism that more accurately conveys female mating status. Once inside the female, geranylgeranyl acetate is progressively converted to geranylgeraniol then externalized. Geranylgeraniol counteracts the antiaphrodisiac effect despite having no inherent attractant properties of its own. This is the first evidence for such an anti-antiaphrodisiac pheromone, adding a new element to the communication mechanisms regulating reproductive behaviors.
Topics: Animals; Aphrodisiacs; Diterpenes; Female; Heteroptera; Male; Pheromones; Sexual Behavior, Animal
PubMed: 28695826
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.24063 -
Molecular Biology and Evolution Jan 2022Pheromonal communication is widespread among living organisms, but in apes and particularly in humans there is currently no strong evidence for such phenomenon. Among...
Pheromonal communication is widespread among living organisms, but in apes and particularly in humans there is currently no strong evidence for such phenomenon. Among primates, lemurs use pheromones to communicate within members of the same species, whereas in some monkeys such capabilities seem to be lost. Chemical communication in humans appears to be impaired by the lack or malfunctioning of biochemical tools and anatomical structures mediating detection of pheromones. Here, we report on a pheromone-carrier protein (SAL) adopting a "reverse chemical ecology" approach to get insights on the structures of potential pheromones in a representative species of lemurs (Microcebus murinus) known to use pheromones, Old-World monkeys (Cercocebus atys) for which chemical communication has been observed, and humans (Homo sapiens), where pheromones and chemical communication are still questioned. We have expressed the SAL orthologous proteins of these primate species, after reconstructing the gene encoding the human SAL, which is disrupted due to a single base mutation preventing its translation into RNA. Ligand-binding experiments with the recombinant SALs revealed macrocyclic ketones and lactones as the best ligands for all three proteins, suggesting cyclopentadecanone, pentadecanolide, and closely related compounds as the best candidates for potential pheromones. Such hypothesis agrees with the presence of a chemical very similar to hexadecanolide in the gland secretions of Mandrillus sphinx, a species closely related to C. atys. Our results indicate that the function of this carrier protein has not changed much during evolution from lemurs to humans, although its physiological role has been certainly impaired in humans.
Topics: Animals; Ecology; Humans; Lemur; Pheromones; Primates
PubMed: 34897488
DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab338