RIS ID
89449
Abstract
Pheromones play an important role in the behavior, ecology, and evolution of many organisms. The structure of many insect pheromones typically consists of a hydrocarbon backbone, occasionally modified with various functional oxygen groups. Here we show that sex-specific triacylclyerides (TAGs) are broadly conserved across the subgenus Drosophila in 11 species and represent a novel class of pheromones that has been largely overlooked. In desert-adapted drosophilids, 13 different TAGs are secreted exclusively by males from the ejaculatory bulb, transferred to females during mating, and function synergistically to inhibit courtship from other males. Sex-specific TAGs are comprised of at least one short branched tiglic acid and a long linear fatty acyl component, an unusual structural motif that has not been reported before in other natural products. The diversification of chemical cues used by desert-adapted Drosophila as pheromones may be related to their specialized diet of fermenting cacti.
Grant Number
ARC/DP0986628
Grant Number
ARC/DP120102922
Publication Details
Chin, J. SR., Ellis, S. R., Pham, H. T., Blanksby, S. J., Mori, K., Koh, Q., Etges, W. J. & Yew, J. Y. (2014). Sex-specific triacylglycerides are widely conserved in Drosophila and mediate mating behavior. eLife, 3 1-18.