Search results for "pheromone"
showing 10 items of 256 documents
Role of nitric oxide in pheromone-mediated intraspecific communication in mice
2009
Nitric oxide is known to take part in the control of sexual and agonistic behaviours. This is usually attributed to its role in neural transmission in the hypothalamus and other structures of the limbic system. However, socio-sexual behaviours in rodents are mainly directed by chemical signals detected by the vomeronasal system, and nitric oxide is abundant in key structures along the vomeronasal pathway. Thus, here we check whether pharmacological treatments interfering with nitrergic transmission could affect socio-sexual behaviour by impairing the processing of chemical signals. Treatment with an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis (Nomega-Nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride, L-N…
Courtship, Mating, and Sex Pheromones in the Mealworm Beetle (Tenebrio molitor)
2003
Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on courtship and mating in a coleopteran, the yellow mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor), observation and description of the behavior of (relatively) undisturbed animals, and the response of male Tenebrio molitor to the female sex attractant pheromone. Pheromones used in communication between members of the opposite sex in a mating context are collectively termed sex pheromones. In many insect species, detection of a sex pheromone is often sufficient to initiate the species-typical courtship and mating behaviors, although the release of these behaviors can be modified by visual, tactile, acoustic, or other types of stimuli. For example, upon detecting a…
Structure of rat odorant-binding protein OBP1 at 1.6 angstrom resolution
2009
The nasal mucosa is a specialist interfacial region sandwiched between the olfactory system and the gaseous chemical milieu. In mammals and insects, this region is rich in odorant-binding proteins that are thought to aid olfaction by assisting mass transfer of the many different organoleptic compounds that make up the olfactory landscape. However, in mammals at least, our grasp on the exact function of odorant-binding proteins is tentative and better insight into the role of these proteins is warranted, not least because of their apparent significance in the olfactory systems of insects. Here, the crystal structure of rat odorant-binding protein 1 is reported at 1.6 Å resolution. This prote…
The crystal structure of a cockroach pheromone-binding protein suggests a new ligand binding and release mechanism.
2003
Pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) are small helical proteins found in sensorial organs, particularly in the antennae, of moth and other insect species. They were proposed to solubilize and carry the hydrophobic pheromonal compounds through the antennal lymph to receptors, participating thus in the peri-receptor events of signal transduction. The x-ray structure of Bombyx mori PBP (BmorPBP), from male antennae, revealed a six-helix fold forming a cavity that contains the pheromone bombykol. We have identified a PBP (LmaPBP) from the cockroach Leucophaea maderae in the antennae of the females, the gender attracted by pheromones in this species. Here we report the crystal structure of LmaPBP a…
Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic study of a pheromone-binding protein from the cockroachLeucophaea maderae
2002
Pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) are small helical proteins (13-18 kDa) present in various sensory organs of moths and other insect species. An antennal protein from the cockroach Leucophaea maderae (LmaPBP) has been found to share all the hallmarks of the PBP family and is expressed specifically in the female adult antennae, the gender that perceives the sex pheromone. Here, the crystallization of LmaPBP expressed as a recombinant protein in Escherichia coli periplasm is reported. Crystals of LmaPBP were obtained by the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method using a nanodrop-dispensing robot. The protein crystallizes in two different crystal forms. Form 1 belongs to space group P1, with uni…
Soldier formation regulated by a primer pheromone from the soldier frontal gland in a higher termite, Nasutitermes lujae
1984
In the nasute higher termite Nasutitermes lujae , the differentiation of new soldiers is suppressed or delayed by the soldiers themselves. Experimental data strongly suggest that this inhibitory effect results from the action of a primer pheromone secreted by the frontal gland of soldiers. The pheromone must be contacted directly. Thus, the frontal gland of termite soldiers assumes a new role in addition to alarm and defense, although this extension cannot be generalized to all termite species. The soldier inhibitory pheromone is evidently only one of multiple factors contributing soldier regulation in termite societies.
Voila, a New Drosophila Courtship Variant that Affects the Nervous System: Behavioral, Neural, and Genetic Characterization
1998
InDrosophila melanogaster, a specificPGAL4transposon induces theVoila1genetic variant and produces multiple phenotypes. HomozygousVoila1/1flies rarely reach adulthood, whereas heterozygousVoila1/+adult males show strong bisexual behavior. Males with a single copy ofVoila1driving the feminizing transgeneUAS-transformershow very reduced sexual activity but no overall effect on their behavior.Voila1is specifically expressed in the nervous system. In the CNS, it is expressed mainly in the mushroom bodies and, to a lesser extent, in the antennal lobes. In the peripheral nervous system, GAL4 expression is almost entirely restricted to the gustatory sensilla. Using chromosomal deficiencies, the be…
CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL SIGNALS MEDIATING CONSPECIFIC AND HETEROSPECIFIC AGGREGATION BEHAVIOR OF FIRST INSTAR STINK BUGS
2004
We investigated cues that mediate the aggregation behavior of immature pentatomid bugs by using nymphs of six different pentatomid bug species (Nezara viridula, Acrosternum hilare, Chlorochroa ligata, Chlorochroa sayi, Thyanta pallidovirens, and Euschistus conspersus). When first instars of any two species were put together in a Petri dish, they readily formed heterospecific aggregations similar to their natural conspecific aggregations. The chemical profiles of first and second instar nymphs of each species were determined by solvent extraction with pentane, followed by GC-MS analysis. Immature bugs of the different species had some compounds in common, and some that were more species spec…
Glutathione conjugation of the rabbit mammary pheromone 2-methylbut-2-enal
2008
International audience; In the process of smell, the olfactory signal is initiated by the binding of odorous molecules to olfactory receptors. In the receptor environment,associated events are supposed to modulate this signal.Thus, the xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, potentially involved in the clearance of the odorous molecules, could modulate the availability of these molecules for the olfactory receptors, and consequently could participate indirectly in the olfactory signal termination. A mammary pheromone, which is an odorous aldehyde (2-methylbut-2-enal or 2MB2) has been recently characterized in the rabbit by our group. The aim of this work was to elucidate the metabolism of 2MB2 in …
Attraction of egg-killing parasitoids toward induced plant volatiles in a multi-herbivore context
2015
In response to insect herbivory, plants emit volatile organic compounds which may act as indirect plant defenses by attracting natural enemies of the attacking herbivore. In nature, plants are often attacked by multiple herbivores, but the majority of studies which have investigated indirect plant defenses to date have focused on the recruitment of different parasitoid species in a single-herbivore context. Here, we report our investigation on the attraction of egg parasitoids of lepidopteran hosts (Trichogramma brassicae and T. evanescens) toward plant volatiles induced by different insect herbivores in olfactometer bioassays. We used a system consisting of a native crucifer, Brassica nigr…