Department of Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Inorganic Chemistry 1-Bioinorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Nat Chem Biol. 2018 Dec;14(12):1133-1139. doi: 10.1038/s41589-018-0164-7. Epub 2018 Nov 14.
Infochemicals play important roles in aquatic ecosystems. They even modify food web interactions, such as by inducing defenses in prey. In one classic but still not fully understood example, the planktonic freshwater crustacean Daphnia pulex forms specific morphological defenses (neckteeth) induced by chemical cues (kairomones) released from its predator, the phantom midge larva Chaoborus. On the basis of liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and chemical synthesis, we report here the chemical identity of the Chaoborus kairomone. The biologically active cues consist of fatty acids conjugated to the amino group of glutamine via the N terminus. These cues are involved in Chaoborus digestive processes, which explains why they are consistently released despite the disadvantage for its emitter. The identification of the kairomone may allow in-depth studies on multiple aspects of this inducible defense system.
信息素在水生生态系统中起着重要作用。它们甚至可以改变食物网的相互作用，例如通过诱导猎物的防御。在一个经典但仍不完全理解的例子中，浮游淡水甲壳类动物溞属通过其捕食者幻影蚊幼虫的化学信号（信息素）释放出特定的形态防御（颈齿）。基于液相色谱、质谱和化学合成，我们在此报告了幻影蚊信息素的化学结构。生物活性信号由通过 N 端与谷氨酰胺的氨基连接的脂肪酸组成。这些信号参与了幻影蚊的消化过程，这解释了为什么尽管对其释放者不利，但它们仍然持续释放。信息素的鉴定可能允许对这个诱导防御系统的多个方面进行深入研究。
