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A diterpene synthase from the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis produces the pheromone sobralene

Ducker, Charles; Baines, Cameron; Guy, Jennifer; Euzébio Goulart Santana, Antônio; Pickett, John A.; Oldham, Neil J.

A diterpene synthase from the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis produces the pheromone sobralene Thumbnail


Authors

Cameron Baines

Jennifer Guy

Antônio Euzébio Goulart Santana

John A. Pickett

Profile image of NEIL OLDHAM

NEIL OLDHAM NEIL.OLDHAM@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Professor of Biomolecular Spectrometry



Abstract

The phlebotomine sandfly, Lutzomyia longipalpis, a major vector of the Leishmania parasite, uses terpene pheromones to attract conspecifics for mating. Examination of the L. longipalpis genome revealed a putative terpene synthase (TPS), which—upon heterologous expression in, and purification from, Escherichia coli—yielded a functional enzyme. The TPS, termed LlTPS, converted geranyl diphosphate (GPP) into a mixture of monoterpenes with low efficiency, of which β-ocimene was the major product. (E,E)-farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) principally produced small amounts of (E)-β-farnesene, while (Z,E)- and (Z,Z)-FPP yielded a mixture of bisabolene isomers. None of these mono- and sesquiterpenes are known volatiles of L. longipalpis. Notably, however, when provided with (E,E,E)-geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP), LlTPS gave sobralene as its major product. This diterpene pheromone is released by certain chemotypes of L. longipalpis, in particular those found in the Ceará state of Brazil. Minor diterpene components were also seen as products of the enzyme that matched those seen in a sandfly pheromone extract.

Citation

Ducker, C., Baines, C., Guy, J., Euzébio Goulart Santana, A., Pickett, J. A., & Oldham, N. J. (2024). A diterpene synthase from the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis produces the pheromone sobralene. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(12), Article e2322453121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2322453121

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 6, 2024
Online Publication Date Mar 12, 2024
Publication Date Mar 19, 2024
Deposit Date Mar 13, 2024
Publicly Available Date Sep 13, 2024
Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Print ISSN 0027-8424
Electronic ISSN 1091-6490
Publisher National Academy of Sciences
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 121
Issue 12
Article Number e2322453121
DOI https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2322453121
Keywords BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; BIOCHEMISTRY; PHYSICAL SCIENCES; CHEMISTRY
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/32460078
Publisher URL https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2322453121

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