[Mevalonolactone: a volatile compound produced by Psammotettix alienus (Dhb)]
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Updated: Sep 28, 2026

Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement from Autologous Pericardium with a Self-Expandable Nitinol Stent in an Adult Sheep Model
Published on: June 8, 2022
Salah Alla1, Christian Malosse, Stéphanie Cassel
1Unité de phytopharmacie et médiateurs chimiques, Inra, 78026 Versailles, France. alla@versailles.inra.fr
Abstract:
The interaction between the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) and the leafhopper Psammotettix alienus was investigated in the laboratory. The leafhoppers, when physically separated from aphid but with a common air supply, caused a reduction in aphid offspring production. One of the hypotheses to explain this result is that volatile compounds might be responsible for the effect on the aphid reproduction. To verify this hypothesis, leafhopper static headspace was subjected to GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) analyses. An original compound was identified in the leafhopper headspace as mevalonolactone (Mev) and was found to be produced only by adults. This is the first report of Mev released in the headspace of either an insect or living organisms in general. Two other new compounds in insects were also identified in both leafhopper nymphs and adults: 2-(2-hydroxypropoxy)-1-propanol and 3,3'-oxybis-2-butanol.
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