RESUMO
Pea weevil (Bruchus pisorum L.) oviposition on pods of specific genetic lines of pea (Pisum sativum L.) stimulates cell division at the sites of egg attachment. As a result, tumor-like growths of undifferentiated cells (neoplasms) develop beneath the egg. These neoplasms impede larval entry into the pod. This unique form of induced resistance is conditioned by the Np allele and mediated by a recently discovered class of natural products that we have identified from both cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus F.) and pea weevil. These compounds, which we refer to as "bruchins," are long-chain alpha,omega-diols, esterified at one or both oxygens with 3-hydroxypropanoic acid. Bruchins are potent plant regulators, with application of as little as 1 fmol (0.5 pg) causing neoplastic growth on pods of all of the pea lines tested. The bruchins are, to our knowledge, the first natural products discovered with the ability to induce neoplasm formation when applied to intact plants.
Assuntos
Besouros/fisiologia , Álcoois Graxos/isolamento & purificação , Interações Hospedeiro-Parasita , Pisum sativum/fisiologia , Tumores de Planta/etiologia , Propionatos/isolamento & purificação , Animais , Divisão Celular , Álcoois Graxos/química , Álcoois Graxos/metabolismo , Álcoois Graxos/toxicidade , Feminino , Imunidade Inata , Estrutura Molecular , Oviposição , Tumores de Planta/induzido quimicamente , Propionatos/química , Propionatos/metabolismo , Propionatos/toxicidadeRESUMO
Structure-activity relationship (SAR) observations were made for the bagworm moth pheromone, (R)-2-pentyl decanoate, and a series of analogs with modifications in the alcohol portion of the molecule. Observed attractiveness of these analogs was related to molecular structure and their physical attributes using computational chemistry. Electrostatic potential and Van der Waals (VdW) electrostatic coded surface three-dimensional (3D) maps of the molecular mechanics (MM) minimized lowest energy conformation of the pheromone show that size, shape, charge distribution, and chirality of the molecule are related to attractiveness.
RESUMO
The sex pheromone of the Comstock mealybug,Pseudococcus comstocki (Kuwana) was isolated from volatiles trapped from air passing over virgin female insects. Combined gas chromatography, mass and infrared spectroscopy, and microreactions indicated that the structure was 2,6-dimethyl-1,5-heptadien-3-ol acetate. This was confirmed by synthesis; several analogs were also prepared. The natural and synthetic pheromone caused similar trap capture of male insects. Synthetic analogs were significantly less attractive in field tests and the addition of minor amounts of the corresponding alcohol to the pheromone appeared to enhance trap capture, but the results were not statistically conclusive.