The lack of chiral specificity in a termite queen pheromone
Yamanoto, Y; Kobayashi, T; Matsuura, K
| HERO ID | 1463444 |
|---|---|
| In Press | No |
| Year | 2012 |
| Title | The lack of chiral specificity in a termite queen pheromone |
| Authors | Yamanoto, Y; Kobayashi, T; Matsuura, K |
| Journal | Physiological Entomology |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Page Numbers | 192-195 |
| Abstract | The queens of many social insects produce pheromones that influence the behaviour and physiology of colony members. Pheromones produced by queens have long been considered as the prime factor inhibiting the differentiation of new reproductive individuals. A volatile pheromone consisting of a blend of n-butyl-n-butyrate and 2-methyl-1- butanol comprises a queen pheromone that inhibits the differentiation of female neotenic reproductives (secondary queens) of a termite Reticulitermes speratus. 2-Methyl-1-butanol is the first chiral molecule to be identified as a primer pheromone in social insects, which presents the intriguing question of whether enantiomeric composition plays a role in caste regulation. In the present study, we report that the (R)- and (S)-enantiomers and the racemic mixture of 2- methyl-1-butanol show significant inhibitory effects on the differentiation of new female neotenics in combination with n-butyl-n-butyrate, whereas no significant difference in inhibitory activity is observed among them. These results suggests that termites recognize 2-methyl-1- butanol as a queen signal but they do not distinguish between the stereostructures of the enantiomers. |
| Doi | 10.1111/j.1365-3032.2011.00806.x |
| Wosid | WOS:000304091500012 |
| Url | http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/j.1365-3032.2011.00806.x |
| Is Certified Translation | No |
| Dupe Override | No |
| Comments | Source: Web of Science WOS:000304091500012 |
| Is Public | Yes |
| Keyword | Caste differentiation; chirality; enantiomers; neotenic reproductives; primer pheromone; queen pheromone |