Academic Journal
Integrative transcriptomic and functional analysis reveals fatty acyl elongases involved in sex pheromone biosynthesis in rice leaffolder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea).
| Τίτλος: | Integrative transcriptomic and functional analysis reveals fatty acyl elongases involved in sex pheromone biosynthesis in rice leaffolder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea). |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Chen LY; School of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China., Lin XY; School of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China., Wang KX; School of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China., Feng X; School of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China., Tang HT; School of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China., Dong SL; State Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Forestry Biosecurity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China., Zheng LL; School of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China. Electronic address: zhengll33@mail.sysu.edu.cn., Xia YH; School of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China. Electronic address: xiayh23@mail.sysu.edu.cn. |
| Πηγή: | Insect biochemistry and molecular biology [Insect Biochem Mol Biol] 2026 Sep; Vol. 194, pp. 104621. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jul 11. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Science Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9207282 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1879-0240 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09651748 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Insect Biochem Mol Biol Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: <2003->: Amsterdam : Elsevier Science Original Publication: Oxford [England] ; New York : Pergamon Press, c1992- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Sex Attractants*/biosynthesis , Moths*/genetics , Moths*/metabolism , Moths*/enzymology , Fatty Acid Elongases*/metabolism , Fatty Acid Elongases*/genetics , Insect Proteins*/metabolism , Insect Proteins*/genetics, Fatty Acid Desaturases/metabolism ; Animals ; Transcriptome ; Gene Expression Profiling |
| Περίληψη: | Elongases are essential enzymes in the biosynthesis of sex pheromones in many lepidopteran species, where together with desaturases they determine pheromone precursor carbon skeletons and contribute to species-specific chemical communication. Despite their presumed importance, no fatty acyl elongase involved in lepidopteran sex pheromone biosynthesis has been functionally characterized to date. The rice leaffolder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, utilizes a blend of C18 monounsaturated aldehydes and alcohols as its sex pheromone, implying a critical elongation step from C16 precursors. Here, transcriptome analysis of the pheromone gland identified 45 candidate genes potentially involved in pheromone biosynthesis. Functional assays in Nicotiana benthamiana established a desaturation-elongation pathway in which the Δ11 desaturase Cmed070400 produces (Z)-11-hexadecenoic acid, which serves as the substrate for elongation. Multiple elongases, including Cmed092440, Cmed063180 and Cmed153360 catalyzed the conversion to (Z)-13-octadecenoic acid, the direct precursor of the major pheromone component. These findings provide the first experimental evidence for elongase-mediated formation of C18 pheromone precursors in C. medinalis. The identification of a minimal set of functionally active enzymes enables reconstruction of this pathway in plant systems, offering a basis for sustainable production of pheromone precursors for pest management applications. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Competing interests LYC, XYL, KEW, and YHX are co-inventors on a patent application related to the findings described in this manuscript. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: C. medinalis; Fatty acyl elongase; Heterologous expression; Moth sex pheromone; Pheromone biosynthesis |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Sex Attractants) EC 2.3.1.- (Fatty Acid Elongases) 0 (Insect Proteins) EC 1.14.19.- (Fatty Acid Desaturases) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260711 Date Completed: 20260806 Latest Revision: 20261008 |
| Update Code: | 20261008 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ibmb.2026.104621 |
| PMID: | 42435944 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1879-0240 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ibmb.2026.104621 |