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Hugo H, Cristaldo PF, DeSouza O. Nonaggressive behavior: A strategy employed by an obligate nest invader to avoid conflict with its host species. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:8741-8754. [PMID: 32884654 PMCID: PMC7452783 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In addition to its builders, termite nests are known to house a variety of secondary opportunistic termite species so-called inquilines, but little is known about the mechanisms governing the maintenance of these symbioses. In a single nest, host and inquiline colonies are likely to engage in conflict due to nestmate discrimination, and an intriguing question is how both species cope with each other in the long term. Evasive behaviour has been suggested as one of the mechanisms reducing the frequency of host-inquiline encounters, yet, the confinement imposed by the nests' physical boundaries suggests that cohabiting species would eventually come across each other. Under these circumstances, it is plausible that inquilines would be required to behave accordingly to secure their housing. Here, we show that once inevitably exposed to hosts individuals, inquilines exhibit nonthreatening behaviours, displaying hence a less threatening profile and preventing conflict escalation with their hosts. By exploring the behavioural dynamics of the encounter between both cohabitants, we find empirical evidence for a lack of aggressiveness by inquilines towards their hosts. Such a nonaggressive behaviour, somewhat uncommon among termites, is characterised by evasive manoeuvres that include reversing direction, bypassing and a defensive mechanism using defecation to repel the host. The behavioural adaptations we describe may play an important role in the stability of cohabitations between host and inquiline termite species: by preventing conflict escalation, inquilines may improve considerably their chances of establishing a stable cohabitation with their hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helder Hugo
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective BehaviourUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- Department of Collective BehaviourMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorRadolfzellGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- Lab of TermitologyFederal University of ViçosaViçosaBrazil
| | - Paulo F. Cristaldo
- Department of AgronomyFederal Rural University of PernambucoRecifeBrazil
| | - Og DeSouza
- Lab of TermitologyFederal University of ViçosaViçosaBrazil
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Sillam-Dussès D, Šobotník J, Bourguignon T, Wen P, Sémon E, Robert A, Cancello EM, Leroy C, Lacey MJ, Bordereau C. Trail-Following Pheromones in the Termite Subfamily Syntermitinae (Blattodea, Termitoidae, Termitidae). J Chem Ecol 2020; 46:475-482. [PMID: 32529331 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-020-01180-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Trail-following behavior is a key to ecological success of termites, allowing them to orient themselves between the nesting and foraging sites. This behavior is controlled by specific trail-following pheromones produced by the abdominal sternal gland occurring in all termite species and developmental stages. Trail-following communication has been studied in a broad spectrum of species, but the "higher" termites (i.e. Termitidae) from the subfamily Syntermitinae remain surprisingly neglected. To fill this gap, we studied the trail-following pheromone in six genera and nine species of Syntermitinae. Our chemical and behavioral experiments showed that (3Z,6Z,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol is the single component of the pheromone of all the termite species studied, except for Silvestritermes euamignathus. This species produces both (3Z,6Z)-dodeca-3,6-dien-1-ol and neocembrene, but only (3Z,6Z)-dodeca-3,6-dien-1-ol elicits trail-following behavior. Our results indicate the importance of (3Z,6Z,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol, the most widespread communication compound in termites, but also the repeated switches to other common pheromones as exemplified by S. euamignathus.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Sillam-Dussès
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology UR 4443, University Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France.
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Jan Šobotník
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Thomas Bourguignon
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - Ping Wen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 650223, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Etienne Sémon
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, AgroSup Dijon, CNRS, INRAE, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Alain Robert
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, Institute of Research for Development - Sorbonne Universités, U 242, Bondy, France
| | - Eliana M Cancello
- Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, CP 42391 CEP 04218970, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Chloé Leroy
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology UR 4443, University Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Michael J Lacey
- CSIRO National Collections and Marine Infrastructure, G.P.O. Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Christian Bordereau
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, AgroSup Dijon, CNRS, INRAE, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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Havlíčková J, Dolejšová K, Tichý M, Vrkoslav V, Kalinová B, Kyjaková P, Hanus R. (3R,6E)-nerolidol, a fertility-related volatile secreted by the queens of higher termites (Termitidae: Syntermitinae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 74:251-264. [PMID: 30920958 DOI: 10.1515/znc-2018-0197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 03/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The queens of advanced social insects maintain their reproductive monopoly by using exocrine chemicals. The chemistry of these "queen pheromones" in termites is poorly known. We show that primary queens of four higher termites from the subfamily Syntermitinae (Embiratermes neotenicus, Silvestritermes heyeri, Labiotermes labralis, and Cyrilliotermes angulariceps) emit significant amounts of the sesquiterpene alcohol (E)-nerolidol. It is the dominant analyte in queen body washes; it is present on the surface of eggs, but absent in kings, workers, and soldiers. In E. neotenicus, it is also produced by replacement neotenic queens, in quantities correlated with their fertility. Using newly synthesised (3R,6E)-nerolidol, we demonstrate that the queens of this species produce only the (R) enantiomer. It is distributed over the surface of their abdomen, in internal tissues, and in the haemolymph, as well as in the headspace of the queens. Both (R) and (S) enantiomers are perceived by the antennae of E. neotenicus workers. The naturally occurring (R) enantiomer elicited a significantly larger antennal response, but it did not show any behavioural effect. In spite of technical difficulties encountered in long-term experiments with the studied species, (3R,6E)-nerolidol remains among eventual candidates for the role in queen fertility signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Havlíčková
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo n. 2, 16610, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Klára Dolejšová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo n. 2, 16610, Prague, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Tichý
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo n. 2, 16610, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Vladimír Vrkoslav
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo n. 2, 16610, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Blanka Kalinová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo n. 2, 16610, Prague, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Pavlína Kyjaková
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo n. 2, 16610, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Robert Hanus
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo n. 2, 16610, Prague, Czech Republic
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Evans TA, Kasseney BD. The Dominance Hierarchy of Wood-Eating Termites from China. INSECTS 2019; 10:E210. [PMID: 31323742 PMCID: PMC6681200 DOI: 10.3390/insects10070210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Competition is a fundamental process in ecology and helps to determine dominance hierarchies. Competition and dominance hierarchies have been little investigated in wood-eating termites, despite the necessary traits of similar resources, and showing spatial and temporal overlap. Competition and dominance between five species of wood-eating termites found in Huangzhou, China, was investigated in three laboratory experiments of aggression and detection, plus a year-long field survey of termite foraging activity. Dominance depended on body size, with largest species winning overwhelmingly in paired contests with equal numbers of individuals, although the advantage was reduced in paired competitions with equal biomass. The termites could detect different species from used filter papers, as larger species searched through paper used by smaller species, and smaller species avoided papers used by larger species. The largest species maintained activity all year, but in low abundance, whereas the second largest species increased activity in summer, and the smallest species increased their activity in winter. The termite species displayed a dominance hierarchy based on fighting ability, with a temporal change in foraging to avoid larger, more dominant species. The low abundance of the largest species, here Macrotermes barneyi, may be a function of human disturbance, which allows subordinate species to increase. Thus, competitive release may explain the increase in abundance of pest species, such as Coptotermes formosanus, in highly modified areas, such as urban systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodore A Evans
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth WA 6009, Australia.
| | - Boris Dodji Kasseney
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lomé, BP 1515 Lomé 01, Togo
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Hellemans S, Dolejšová K, Křivánek J, Fournier D, Hanus R, Roisin Y. Widespread occurrence of asexual reproduction in higher termites of the Termes group (Termitidae: Termitinae). BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:131. [PMID: 31226928 PMCID: PMC6588926 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1459-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A decade ago, the mixed reproductive strategy Asexual Queen Succession (AQS) was first described in termites. In AQS species, the workers, soldiers and dispersing reproductives are produced through sexual reproduction, while non-dispersing (neotenic) queens arise through automictic thelytokous parthenogenesis, replace the founding queen and mate with the founding king. As yet, AQS has been documented in six species from three lineages of lower (Rhinotermitidae) and higher (Termitinae: Termes group and Syntermitinae) termites. Independent evolution of the capacity of thelytoky as a preadaptation to AQS is supported by different mechanisms of automixis in each of the three clades. These pioneering discoveries prompt the question on the extent of thelytoky and AQS in the diversified family of higher termites. RESULTS Here, we investigated the capacity of thelytoky and occurrence of AQS in three species from the phylogenetic proximity of the neotropical AQS species Cavitermes tuberosus (Termitinae: Termes group): Palmitermes impostor, Spinitermes trispinosus, and Inquilinitermes inquilinus. We show that queens of all three species are able to lay unfertilized eggs, which undergo thelytokous parthenogenesis (via gamete duplication as in C. tuberosus) and develop through the transitional stage of aspirants into replacement neotenic queens. CONCLUSIONS The breeding system in P. impostor is very reminiscent of that described in C. tuberosus and can be characterized as AQS. In the remaining two species, our limited data do not allow classifying the breeding system as AQS; yet, also in these species the thelytokous production of neotenic females appears to be a systematic element of reproductive strategies. It appears likely that the capacity of thelytokous parthenogenesis evolved once in the Termes group, and may ultimately be found more widely, well beyond these Neotropical species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Hellemans
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, CP 160/12, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Klára Dolejšová
- Chemistry of Social Insects, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo n. 2, CZ-166 10, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Křivánek
- Chemistry of Social Insects, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo n. 2, CZ-166 10, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Denis Fournier
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, CP 160/12, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robert Hanus
- Chemistry of Social Insects, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo n. 2, CZ-166 10, Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Yves Roisin
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, CP 160/12, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
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Gössinger E. Chemistry of the Secondary Metabolites of Termites. PROGRESS IN THE CHEMISTRY OF ORGANIC NATURAL PRODUCTS 2019; 109:1-384. [PMID: 31637529 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-12858-6_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Isolation, structure determination, synthesis, and biochemistry of the low-molecular-weight compounds of the secretion of exocrine glands of termites are described, with an emphasis on pheromones and defensive compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edda Gössinger
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- , Mistelbach, Austria.
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Rodrigues VB, Costa DA, Cristaldo PF, DeSouza O. Lagged Population Growth in a Termite Host Colony: Cause or Consequence of Inquilinism? NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 47:815-820. [PMID: 30259419 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-018-0634-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The presence of foreign organisms in the colonies of social insects could affect energy allocation to growth and reproduction of these hosts. Highly specialized invaders of such long-lived hosts, however, can be selected to be less harmful. After all, it pays for these symbionts to keep their host's good health thereby prolonging cohabitation in the homeostatic environment of the termite colony. Here, we investigated such a hypothesis, focusing on populational parameters of a termite host sharing its nest with an obligatory termite inquiline. To this end, 19 natural colonies of Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Silvestri, 1901) (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) were sampled and the (i) number of individuals, (ii) proportion of soldier/workers in the colonies, and (iii) presence/absence of obligatory inquiline Inquilinitermes microcerus (Silvestri, 1901) (Termitidae: Termitinae) were measured. Results revealed a negative correlation between the number of individuals and the proportion of soldier/workers in the host colonies with the presence of I. microcerus colonies. In search of causal mechanisms for such a correlation, we inspected life history traits of both, inquilines and hosts, hypothesizing that such a result could indicate either (i) a dampening effect of the inquiline upon its host population or (ii) the coincidence of the moment of inquiline infiltration with the natural reduction of C. cyphergaster populational growth at the onset of its reproductive phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- V B Rodrigues
- Lab de Termitologia, Depto de Entomologia, Univ Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brasil
| | - D A Costa
- Lab de Termitologia, Depto de Entomologia, Univ Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brasil
- Depto de Zoologia, Univ do Estado do Mato Grosso, Tangará da Serra, MT, Brasil
| | - P F Cristaldo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Agricultura e Biodiversidade, Univ Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE, Brasil.
| | - O DeSouza
- Lab de Termitologia, Depto de Entomologia, Univ Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brasil
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Machara A, Křivánek J, Dolejšová K, Havlíčková J, Bednárová L, Hanus R, Majer P, Kyjaková P. Identification and Enantiodivergent Synthesis of (5 Z,9 S)-Tetradec-5-en-9-olide, a Queen-Specific Volatile of the Termite Silvestritermes minutus. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2018; 81:2266-2274. [PMID: 30299957 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.8b00632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The queens of social insects differ from sterile colony members in many aspects of their physiology. Besides adaptations linked with their specialization for reproduction and extended lifespan, the queens also invest in the maintenance of their reproductive dominance by producing exocrine chemicals signaling their presence to the nestmates. The knowledge of the chemistry of queen-specific cues in termites is scarce. In addition to the contact recognition based on cuticular hydrocarbons, long-range signals mediated by volatiles are expected to participate in queen signaling, especially in populous colonies of higher termites (Termitidae). In queens of the higher termite Silvestritermes minutus (Syntermitinae), we have detected a previously undescribed volatile. It is present in important quantities on the body surface and in the headspace, ovaries, and body cavity. MS and GC-FTIR data analyses led us to propose the structure of the compound to be a macrolide 10-pentyl-3,4,5,8,9,10-hexahydro-2 H-oxecin-2-one. We performed enantiodivergent syntheses of two possible enantiomers starting from enantiopure ( S)-glycidyl tosylate. The synthetic sequence involved macrolide-closing metathesis quenched with a ruthenium scavenging agent. The absolute and relative configuration of the compound was assigned to be (5 Z,9 S)-tetradec-5-en-9-olide. Identification and preparation of the compound allow for investigation of its biological significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleš Machara
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS , Flemingovo n. 542/2 , 166 10 , Prague 6 , Czech Republic
| | - Jan Křivánek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS , Flemingovo n. 542/2 , 166 10 , Prague 6 , Czech Republic
| | - Klára Dolejšová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS , Flemingovo n. 542/2 , 166 10 , Prague 6 , Czech Republic
| | - Jana Havlíčková
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS , Flemingovo n. 542/2 , 166 10 , Prague 6 , Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Bednárová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS , Flemingovo n. 542/2 , 166 10 , Prague 6 , Czech Republic
| | - Robert Hanus
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS , Flemingovo n. 542/2 , 166 10 , Prague 6 , Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Majer
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS , Flemingovo n. 542/2 , 166 10 , Prague 6 , Czech Republic
| | - Pavlína Kyjaková
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS , Flemingovo n. 542/2 , 166 10 , Prague 6 , Czech Republic
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Dolejšová K, Křivánek J, Kalinová B, Hadravová R, Kyjaková P, Hanus R. Sex-Pairing Pheromones in Three Sympatric Neotropical Termite Species (Termitidae: Syntermitinae). J Chem Ecol 2018; 44:534-546. [PMID: 29752680 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-018-0965-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Revised: 04/06/2018] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Termite colonies are almost always founded by a pair of winged dispersers, in spite of the high costs and low success rates inherent in independent colony foundation. The dispersal flights of imagoes from natal colonies are followed by mate search, mediated by sex-pairing pheromones. Here, we studied the chemistry of sex-pairing pheromones and the related aspects of mate search in winged imagoes of two facultatively parthenogenetic species, Embiratermes neotenicus and Silvestritermes minutus, and an additional species from the same subfamily, Silvestritermes heyeri. All three species are widespread in the Neotropics, including the rainforests of French Guiana. After the dispersal flight and spontaneous loss of wings, females expose their hypertrophied tergal glands situated under abdominal tergites VIII - X. The females are attractive to males and, upon direct contact, the two sexes form characteristic tandems. Chemical analyses indicated that the females secrete species-specific combinations of unbranched, unsaturated C12 primary alcohols from the tergal glands, (3Z,6Z,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol (approx. 200 pg per female) and (3Z)-dodec-3-enol (185 pg) in E. neotenicus, (3Z,6Z)-dodeca-3,6-dien-1-ol (3500 pg) in S. heyeri, and (3Z,6Z)-dodeca-3,6-dien-1-ol (300 pg) and (3Z)-dodec-3-enol (50 pg) in S. minutus. (3Z,6Z,8E)-Dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol and (3Z,6Z)-dodeca-3,6-dien-1-ol act as major pheromone components in the respective species and mimic the function of female tergal gland extracts in electrophysiological and behavioral experiments. Biologically relevant amounts of the third compound, (3Z)-dodec-3-enol, elicited non-significant reactions in males of E. neotenicus and S. minutus, and slight synergistic effects in males of S. minutus when tested in combination with the major component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klára Dolejšová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Křivánek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Blanka Kalinová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Romana Hadravová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Pavlína Kyjaková
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Robert Hanus
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
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11
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Tupec M, Buček A, Valterová I, Pichová I. Biotechnological potential of insect fatty acid-modifying enzymes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 72:387-403. [PMID: 28742527 DOI: 10.1515/znc-2017-0031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
There are more than one million described insect species. This species richness is reflected in the diversity of insect metabolic processes. In particular, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, such as defensive compounds and chemical signals, encompasses an extraordinarily wide range of chemicals that are generally unparalleled among natural products from other organisms. Insect genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes thus offer a valuable resource for discovery of novel enzymes with potential for biotechnological applications. Here, we focus on fatty acid (FA) metabolism-related enzymes, notably the fatty acyl desaturases and fatty acyl reductases involved in the biosynthesis of FA-derived pheromones. Research on insect pheromone-biosynthetic enzymes, which exhibit diverse enzymatic properties, has the potential to broaden the understanding of enzyme specificity determinants and contribute to engineering of enzymes with desired properties for biotechnological production of FA derivatives. Additionally, the application of such pheromone-biosynthetic enzymes represents an environmentally friendly and economic alternative to the chemical synthesis of pheromones that are used in insect pest management strategies.
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Kyjaková P, Roy V, Jirošová A, Krasulová J, Dolejšová K, Křivánek J, Hadravová R, Rybáček J, Pohl R, Roisin Y, Sillam-Dussès D, Hanus R. Chemical systematics of Neotropical termite genera with symmetrically snapping soldiers (Termitidae: Termitinae). Zool J Linn Soc 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pavlína Kyjaková
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i.; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Flemingovo n. 2 16610 Prague 6 Czech Republic
| | - Virginie Roy
- iEES-Paris; Université Paris-Est Créteil; 61, avenue du Général de Gaulle 94010 Créteil cedex France
| | - Anna Jirošová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i.; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Flemingovo n. 2 16610 Prague 6 Czech Republic
| | - Jana Krasulová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i.; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Flemingovo n. 2 16610 Prague 6 Czech Republic
| | - Klára Dolejšová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i.; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Flemingovo n. 2 16610 Prague 6 Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science; Charles University in Prague; Albertov 2038/6 128 00 Prague 2 Czech Republic
| | - Jan Křivánek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i.; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Flemingovo n. 2 16610 Prague 6 Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science; Charles University in Prague; Albertov 2038/6 128 00 Prague 2 Czech Republic
| | - Romana Hadravová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i.; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Flemingovo n. 2 16610 Prague 6 Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Rybáček
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i.; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Flemingovo n. 2 16610 Prague 6 Czech Republic
| | - Radek Pohl
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i.; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Flemingovo n. 2 16610 Prague 6 Czech Republic
| | - Yves Roisin
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology; Université Libre de Bruxelles; Av. F.D. Roosevelt 50 B-1050 Brussels Belgium
| | - David Sillam-Dussès
- iEES-Paris; UMR 242; IRD - Sorbonne Universités; 32, avenue Henri Varagnat 93143 Bondy cedex France
- LEEC; EA4443; Université Paris XIII - Sorbonne Paris Cité; 99, avenue J.-B. Clément 93430 Villetaneuse France
| | - Robert Hanus
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, v.v.i.; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Flemingovo n. 2 16610 Prague 6 Czech Republic
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