Pheromonotropic stimulation of moth pheromone gland cultures in vitro

The direct neurohormonal control of pheromone biosynthesis by pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) was demonstrated in Helicoverpa (Heliothis) spp. using pheromone gland cultures in vitro. Pheromone gland activation involved the de novo production of the main pheromone component (Z)-11-hexadecenal as revealed by radio-TLC, radio-HPLC, and radio-GC. Activation was found to be a specific response attributed to pheromone gland cultures alone. Specificity of pheromonotropic activation was demonstrated to be limited to nervous tissue extracts. A sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay was developed using [3H]-PBAN, and the spatial and temporal distribution of PBAN-immunoreactivity was studied. PBAN-immunoreactivity in brain complexes was found throughout the photoperiod and in all ages. From the distribution of PBAN-immunoreactivity it appears that PBAN release is affected by photoperiod. Pheromone gland cultures were found to be competent to pheromone production irrespective of age and photoperiod. Therefore, the neuroendocrine control of pheromone production operates at the level of neuropeptide synthesis and/or release and not at the level of the target tissue itself. The involvement of cyclic-AMP as a second messenger system was demonstrated. Brain extracts and PBAN were shown to stimulate dose- and time-dependent changes in intracellular cyclic-AMP levels. The role of cyclic-AMP in this mechanism was further verified by the ability of cyclic-AMP mimetics to mimic the pheromonotropic effect of brain extracts and PBAN. However, dose-response studies using PBAN and a hexapeptide C-terminal fragment of PBAN suggested that PBAN induces a two mechanism response, one occurring at low PBAN concentrations (high affinity receptor) and another at higher PBAN concentrations (low affinity receptor). Further evidence indicating a dual receptor system was obtained with the observation that the active phorbol ester (phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate), the diacylglycerol analog (1,2-dioleolyl-sn-glycerol), and the intracellular calcium ionophore (ionomycin) mimicked the physiological action of PBAN and that lithium chloride had a pheromonostatic effect. The results indicate that pheromone glands also possess receptors that are linked to inositol phosphate hydolysis.