Production of verbenol pheromone by a bacterium isolated from bark beetles

• Published in: Nature (London) 1975-03, Vol.254 (5496), p.136-137
• Main Authors: BRAND, J. M, BRACKE, J. W, MARKOVETZ, A. J, WOOD, D. L, BROWNE, L. E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Bacillus cereus - isolation & purification; Bacillus cereus - metabolism; Coleoptera - microbiology; Humanities and Social Sciences; letter; multidisciplinary; Pheromones - biosynthesis; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Symbiosis
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/254136a0

THE aggregation pheromones of the bark beetle, Ips paraconfusus Lanier 1 are expelled in the faecal pellets of male beetles feeding on the phloem of Pinus ponderosa 2,3 . These substances, cis- verbenol, ipsenol, and ipsdienol 4 , seem to originate in the hindgut 5 but the precise site of their biosynthesis has not been determined. In various species of Ips a connection has been convincingly demonstrated between the production of these pheromones in the hindgut and either ingestion of phloem or exposure of the beetles to host plant oleoresin 6 . More specifically, exposure of individuals of certain species of Ips to myrcene can result in an increased production of ipsenol and ipsdienol 7 and exposure of certain species of Dendroctonus to α–pinene results in an increased production of cis - and trans -verbenol 8–10 in the hindgut. It seems therefore that a precursor–product relationship exists between certain host plant substances such as α-pinene and myrcene and the three aggregation pheromones mentioned above.