Enzymatic conversion and degradation of sex pheromones inantennae of the male silkworm moth antheraea polyphemus

Abstract

In living antennae of the male silkworm moth Antheraea polyphemus the pheromone compounds [6, 7-3H]-6, ll-hexadecadienyl acetate and [12, 13-3H]-10, 12-hexadecadienol are enzymatically converted to their corresponding fatty alcohols, aldehydes, acids and long-chained fatty acid esters. In antennae of freshly hatched moths the 3H-labeled pheromones are degraded at high rates to volatile polar metabolites. The half-life of the pheromone acetate is about 3 min. In dried antennae the pheromone acetate is merely hydrolyzedto the fatty alcohol. © 1988, Walter de Gruyter. All rights reserved.