Stimulation of sex pheromone production by PBAN-like substance in the pine caterpillar moth, Dendrolimus punctatus (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae)

Sex pheromone production in the female pine caterpillar moth, Dendrolimus punctatus is controlled by a PBAN-like substance located in the head of female moth. Pheromone titer was significantly decreased by decapitation of female moth, and restored by injection of either Hez-PBAN or head extract prepared from male or female moth. Stimulation of pheromone production by head extract followed a dose-dependent pattern from 0.5 to at least 4 head equivalent. A gland in vitro assay was used to study the relationship between gland incubation time and pheromone production as well as calcium involvement in the stimulation of pheromone production by head extract. Maximum pheromone production was occurred at 60 min after pheromone gland was incubated with two equivalents of head extracts. In vitro experiments showed that the presence of calcium in the incubation medium was necessary for stimulation of pheromone production. The calcium ionophore, A 23187, alone stimulated pheromone production. The pheromone components (Z,E)-5,7-dodecadienol and its acetate and propionate were produced in these experiments but in addition to the aldehyde, (Z,E)-5,7-dodecadienal was also found. This indicates that females are capable of producing four oxygenated functional groups. The PBAN-like substance control of the pheromone biosynthetic pathway was investigated by monitoring the incorporation of the labeled precursor into both pheromone and pheromone intermediates.