生物學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn),，在配對之前雌性果蠅對雄性果蠅有巨大魅力,，可一旦它們結(jié)合后，雌果蠅就會失去對其他雄果蠅的吸引力,，其原因一直不明,。一個德美聯(lián)合研究小組最近發(fā)現(xiàn)，是一種性信息素的作用導(dǎo)致了這一奇特現(xiàn)象,。
德國明斯特大學(xué)和美國哈佛大學(xué)的研究人員在美國《當(dāng)代生物學(xué)》網(wǎng)站上報告說,，昆蟲利用嗅覺或腿部分布的接觸感受器，去感應(yīng)其他昆蟲體表附著的各種特殊碳氫化合物來進行信息交流,，其中引起性沖動的化合物被稱為性信息素,。
上述兩家高校的科研人員利用飛行時間質(zhì)譜儀技術(shù)，發(fā)現(xiàn)一種名為CH503的碳氫化合物會在雄果蠅體表的一個專區(qū)密集分布,，在與雌果蠅結(jié)合時,，這種性信息素會傳播到雌果蠅身上并附著10天以上。
研究人員對未與異性結(jié)合的雌果蠅人工噴灑CH503,，結(jié)果它們隨即失去了對雄果蠅的吸引力,，這說明性信息素CH503會抑制雄果蠅的配對欲望。
參與這項研究的科研人員推測,，避免連續(xù)配對對果蠅種群有好處,。首先，兩性繁殖所必需的遺傳物質(zhì)不會被其他雄果蠅破壞,，雌果蠅也會因得不到其他雄果蠅的青睞而一心一意地選址產(chǎn)卵,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Current Biology, 16 July 2009 doi:10.1016/j.cub.2009.06.037
A New Male Sex Pheromone and Novel Cuticular Cues for Chemical Communication in Drosophila
Joanne Y. Yew1,2,5,,,Klaus Dreisewerd2,5,Heinrich Luftmann3,Johannes Müthing4,Gottfried Pohlentz2andEdward A. Kravitz1
1 Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
2 Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
3 Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
4 Institute of Hygiene, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
In many insect species, cuticular hydrocarbons serve as pheromones that can mediate complex social behaviors. In Drosophila melanogaster, several hydrocarbons including the male sex pheromone 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA) and female-specific 7,11-dienes influence courtship behavior and can function as cues for short-term memory associated with the mating experience. Behavioral and physiological studies suggest that other unidentified chemical communication cues are likely to exist. To more fully characterize the hydrocarbon profile of the D. melanogaster cuticle, we applied direct ultraviolet laser desorption/ionization orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UV-LDI-o-TOF MS) and analyzed the surface of intact fruit flies at a spatial resolution of approximately 200 m.We report the chemical and spatial characterization of 28 species of cuticular hydrocarbons, including a new major class of oxygen-containing compounds. Via UV-LDI MS, pheromones previously shown to be expressed exclusively by one sex, e.g., cVA, 7,11-heptacosadiene, and 7,11-nonacosadiene, appear to be found on both male and female flies. In males, cVA colocalizes at the tip of the ejaculatory bulb with a second acetylated hydrocarbon named CH503. We describe the chemical structure of CH503 as 3-O-acetyl-1,3-dihydroxy-octacosa-11,19-diene and demonstrate a behavioral role for this compound as a long-lived inhibitor of male courtship. Like cVA, CH503 is transferred from males to females during mating. Unlike cVA, CH503 remains on the surface of females for at least 10 days.Oxygenated hydrocarbons comprise a major previously undescribed class of compounds on the Drosophila cuticular surface. A newly discovered long-chain acetate, CH503, serves as a mediator of courtship-related chemical communication.
