Conversion of the Sex Pheromone of the Cabbage Looper

Abstract

THE mechanisms by which airborne molecules stimulate the olfactory receptors of insects remain largely undefined. In the Insecta, antennal sensilla contain pores which connect the external environment with the receptor membrane of the dendritic nerve endings^1–3. The ultimate fate of the stimulant molecule that enters the pore is not yet known. Unpublished data cited by Schneider¹ and Kaissling⁴ indicated that bombykol (E)-10, (Z)-12-hexadecadien-1-ol, was progressively metabolized into acid and ester after absorption on the antennae, or other body parts of males and females of Bombyx mori (L.). This finding cannot be directly correlated with any specific step in the olfactory mechanism, but it suggested that an enzymatic process might be involved at some point. Other indications of chemical stimulants interacting with protein substances in the antennae of insects have been reported^5,6.