Lourdes Muñoz

Identification and characterization of a fatty acyl reductase from a Spodoptera littoralis female gland involved in pheromone biosynthesis

Fatty acyl‐CoA reductases (FARs), the enzymes that catalyse reduction of a fatty acyl‐CoA to the corresponding alcohol in insect pheromone biosynthesis, are postulated to play an important role in determining the proportion of each component in the pheromone blend. For the first time, we have isolated and characterized from the Egyptian cotton leaf worm Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) a FAR cDNA (Slit‐FAR1), which appeared to be expressed only in the pheromone gland and was undetectable in other female tissues, such as fat body, ovaries, wings, legs or thorax. The encoded protein has been successfully expressed in a recombinant system, and the recombinant enzyme is able to produce the intermediate fatty acid alcohols of the pheromone biosynthesis of S. littoralis from the corresponding acyl‐CoA precursors. The kinetic variables Km and Vmax, which have been calculated for each acyl‐CoA pheromone precursor, suggest that in S. littoralis pheromone biosynthesis other biosynthetic enzymes (e.g. desaturases, acetyl transferase) should also contribute to the final ratio of components of the pheromone blend. In a phylogenetic analysis, Slit‐FAR1 appeared grouped in a cluster of other FARs involved in the pheromone biosynthesis of other insects, with little or non‐specificity for the natural pheromone precursors.

Pheromone synthesis in a biomicroreactor coated with anti-adsorption polyelectrolyte multilayer

To prepare a biosynthetic module in an infochemical communication project, we designed a silicon/glass microreactor with anti-adsorption polyelectrolyte multilayer coating and immobilized alcohol acetyl transferase (atf), one of the key biosynthetic enzymes of the pheromone of Spodoptera littoralis, on agarose beads inside. The system reproduces the last step of the biosynthesis in which the precursor diene alcohol (Z,E)-9,11-tetradecadienol is transformed into the major component (Z,E)-9,11-tetradecadienyl acetate. The scope of this study was to analyze and implement a multilayer, anti-adsorption coating based on layer-by-layer deposition of polyethylenimine/dextransulfate sodium salt (PEI/DSS). The multilayers were composed of two PEI with molecular weights 750 and 1.2 kDa at pH 9.2 or 6.0. Growth, morphology, and stability of the layers were analyzed by ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The anti-adsorption functionality of the multilayer inside the microreactor was validated. The activity of His(6)-(atf) was measured by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometer (GC-MS).

Reactivity versus steric effects in fluorinated ketones as esterase inhibitors: a quantum mechanical and molecular dynamics study

Carboxylesterases (CEs) are a family of ubiquitous enzymes with broad substrate specificity, and their inhibition may have important implications in pharmaceutical and agrochemical fields. One of the most potent inhibitors both for mammalian and insect CEs are trifluoromethyl ketones (TFMKs), but the mechanism of action of these chemicals is not completely understood. This study examines the balance between reactivity versus steric effects in modulating the activity against human carboxylesterase 1. The intrinsic reactivity of the ketone moiety is determined from quantum mechanical computations, which combine gas phase B3LYP calculations with hydration free energies estimated with the IEF/MST model. In addition, docking and molecular dynamics simulations are used to explore the binding mode of the inhibitors along the deep gorge that delineates the binding site. The results point out that the activity largely depends on the nature of the fluorinated ketone, since the activity is modulated by the balance between the intrinsic electrophilicity of the carbonyl carbon atom and the ratio between keto and hydrate forms. However, the results also suggest that the correct alignment of the alkyl chain in the binding site can exert a large influence on the inhibitory activity, as this effect seems to override the intrinsic reactivity features of the fluorinated ketone. Overall, the results sustain a subtle balance between reactivity and steric effects in modulating the inhibitory activity of TFMK inhibitors.

Synthesis of allylic trifluoromethyl ketones and their activity as inhibitors of the sex pheromone of the leopard moth, Zeuzera pyrina L. (Lepidoptera: Cossidae).

BACKGROUND Trifluoromethyl ketones (TFMKs), structurally related to the pheromones, are good inhibitors of pheromone communication in insects. To determine their activity on Zeuzera pyrina L. (Lepidoptera: Cossidae), a polyphagous pest, the authors have prepared two diunsaturated TFMK analogues of the major (3) and the minor (4) pheromone components, and two monounsaturated ones (5, 6). Their biological activity in electroantennogram (EAG), wind tunnel and field tests is presented. RESULTS The synthetic strategy to obtain the allylic TFMKs 3 and 5 is based on the reactions of diene 10 and 1-octadecene with trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal, followed by Dess-Martin oxidation of the resulting homoallylic trifluoromethyl alcohols. In EAG, topical application of analogues 3 and 4 on male antennae significantly reduced the pheromone response. In the wind tunnel, compound 4 reduced the number of contacts with the pheromone source. In the field, traps baited with mixtures of pheromone and inhibitors captured significantly fewer males than the pheromone alone. CONCLUSION An efficient synthesis of allylic TFMKs is reported, with good overall yield, regiospecificity and diastereoselectivity. These compounds are good inhibitors of the pheromone in electrophysiology, wind tunnel and field tests. The results show the importance of two unsaturations at positions 2 and 13 of the trifluoroacyl group in the structure of the analogues, the latter being critical for inhibitory activity.

Mimicking Insect Communication: Release and Detection of Pheromone, Biosynthesized by an Alcohol Acetyl Transferase Immobilized in a Microreactor

Infochemical production, release and detection of (Z,E)-9,11-tetradecadienyl acetate, the major component of the pheromone of the moth Spodoptera littoralis, is achieved in a novel microfluidic system designed to mimic the final step of the pheromone biosynthesis by immobilized recombinant alcohol acetyl transferase. The microfluidic system is part of an “artificial gland”, i.e., a chemoemitter that comprises a microreactor connected to a microevaporator and is able to produce and release a pre-defined amount of the major component of the pheromone from the corresponding (Z,E)-9,11-tetradecadienol. Performance of the entire chemoemitter has been assessed in electrophysiological and behavioral experiments. Electroantennographic depolarizations of the pheromone produced by the chemoemitter were ca. 40% relative to that evoked by the synthetic pheromone. In a wind tunnel, the pheromone released from the evaporator elicited on males a similar attraction behavior as 3 virgin females in most of the parameters considered.

Differential activity of non-fluorinated and fluorinated analogues of the European corn borer pheromone

Summary.The differing antagonist activity of (Z)-13-hexadecen-2-one (Z11 – 14 :MK, 1) and its 1,1,1-trifluoro derivative (Z11 –14 :TFMK, 2), two closely related analogues of the European corn borer pheromone Ostrinia nubilalis (Z strain), and their rationale is reported. Both chemicals exhibited some electrophysiological activity, and topical application of 10 pg of pheromone analogue on male antennae was sufficient to induce significantly lower depolarization responses to the pheromone versus untreated insects. In a wind tunnel, the number of European corn borer males attracted to sources containing mixtures of 1 + pheromone in ratios ≥ 1 :1 was significantly lower than the number attracted to a source containing pheromone alone. Source contact behaviour was dramatically impaired when the 1 + pheromone blend reached a ratio of 10 :1, in which only 2% of males displayed source contact in the presence of antagonist. When compound 1 was present at the source, males usually flew upwind with occasional downwind reversals; when compound 2 was present at the lure, males performed wider crosswind reversals, with little progress toward the source. In the field, traps baited with mixtures of both compounds with the pheromone in ratios of 5 :1 and 10 :1 elicited a significantly decreased number of male catches. In esterase inhibition assays, compound 2 was a potent inhibitor (IC50 = 70 nM), whereas the non-fluorinated compound 1 was not. The different activity of both compounds is presumed to be due to different mechanisms of action; considerations for using methyl ketone analogues as new behavioural antagonists of the pheromone are outlined.

Phytal: A Candidate Sex Pheromone Component of the Moroccan Locust Dociostaurus maroccanus

Outbreaks of locusts cause enormous economic losses to agriculture in many countries. To develop environmentally friendly strategies for their control, much research has been focused on the factors that influence locust biology, particularly infochemical‐mediated interactions. We present herein the identification and synthesis of both Z and E isomers of phytal (3,7,11,15‐tetramethylhexadec‐2‐enal, 1), which are involved in chemical communication and behaviour of the Moroccan locust, Dociostaurus maroccanus, a serious agricultural pest. The compound was identified by comparison of its chromatographic and spectrometric features and microchemical reactions with those of a synthetic sample. The natural compound was shown to have the R,R configuration by chiral HPLC analysis, and its structure is unique as an insect pheromone component. Both isomers of phytal are produced by sexually mature adult males and elicit electroantennographic responses in antennae of both sexes. In two‐choice olfactometer bioassays, males and females significantly preferred the stream enriched with racemic phytal to the control. In contrast, hydrogenated phytal was behaviourally inert. Both isomers of phytal are specific to D. maroccanus as they are absent in the closely related, habitat‐sharing species Dociostaurus jagoi and Calliptamus wattenwylianus. Legs and wings are the main release sites of the compound: approximately 90 % of that emitted by living individuals. In biosynthetic studies, phytal appears to proceed from oxidation of phytol (2) after injection of deuterated phytol into the abdomen of the insect or after administration in the diet. Our results demonstrate that phytal is a candidate sex pheromone component of the Moroccan locust; it is produced by mature males, and might be eavesdropped upon by conspecific males.

Mimicking insect signaling: Artificial gland for biosynthesis and release of semiochemicals for communication

We explore the functionality of a complete chemoemitter platform mimicking the biosynthetic pathways and release of female sex pheromones of the Spodoptera littoralis moth. This artificial gland system consists of a microreactor in which the pheromone biosynthesis takes place, and a micromachined evaporator that releases ratiometrically-encoded blend into the environment. The artificial gland was implemented for the investigation and detection of patterns by highly sensitive olfaction system of male moths in electroantennographic and behavioral assays. Thus, a new information emission scheme by utilizing semiochemicals as a data carrier was demonstrated.

A Chemoemitter System Mimicking Chemical Communication in Insects

The first chemoemitter based on the concept of infochemical communication is presented emphasizing details on the microfabrication and functionality of its elements, particularly the biomicroreactor and the evaporator. The functionality of the integrated chemoemitter has been evidenced in electrophysiological assays using antennae from Spodoptera littoralis males for pheromone detection and quantification.