Sex pheromone biosynthetic pathways are conserved between moths and the butterfly Bicyclus anynana

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Although phylogenetically nested within the moths, butterflies have diverged extensively in a number of life history traits. Whereas moths rely greatly on chemical signals, visual advertisement is the hallmark of mate finding in butterflies. In the context of courtship, however, male chemical signals are widespread in both groups although they likely have multiple evolutionary origins. Here, we report that in males of the butterfly Bicyclus anynana, courtship scents are produced de novo via biosynthetic pathways shared with females of many moth species. We show that two of the pheromone components that play a major role in mate choice, namely the (Z)-9-tetradecenol and hexadecanal, are produced through the activity of a fatty acyl Δ11-desaturase and two specialized alcohol-forming fatty acyl reductases. Our study provides the first evidence of conservation and sharing of ancestral genetic modules for the production of FA-derived pheromones over a long evolutionary timeframe thereby reconciling mate communication in moths and butterflies.
Original languageEnglish
Article number3957
Pages (from-to)1–12
Number of pages12
JournalNature Communications
Volume5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Zoology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Sex pheromone biosynthetic pathways are conserved between moths and the butterfly Bicyclus anynana'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this