Ducker, Charles, Baines, Cameron, Guy, Jennifer, Euzébio Goulart Santana, Antônio, Pickett, John A.  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1008-6595 and Oldham, Neil J.
2024.
A diterpene synthase from the sandfly
Lutzomyia longipalpis
produces the pheromone sobralene.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
121
(12)
, e2322453121.
10.1073/pnas.2322453121
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Abstract
Terpenes are widely used in nature for chemical communication, but our understanding of how these structurally diverse natural products are produced by insects is only now beginning to emerge. Males of the sandfly, Lutzomyia longipalpis, use terpene pheromones to lure females and other males to mating sites. This insect attracts considerable attention due to its role as a vector for the Leishmania parasite, which causes the neglected tropical disease leishmaniasis. In this study, a diterpene synthase that produces the pheromone component sobralene is identified, heterologously expressed and functionally characterized. This represents identification of a terpene synthase (TPS) from Lutzomyia and shows that insects are capable of biosynthesizing diterpenes. It offers the potential for sustainable production of this compound through biocatalysis.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Published Online |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Chemistry |
| Publisher: | National Academy of Sciences |
| ISSN: | 0027-8424 |
| Funders: | BBSRC |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 13 March 2024 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 6 March 2024 |
| Last Modified: | 29 Apr 2024 14:15 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/167207 |
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