Male jeffrey pine beetle, Dendroctonus jeffreyi, synthesizes the pheromone component frontalin in anterior midgut...

The male Jeffrey pine beetle, Dendroctonus jeffreyi Hopkins (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), produces the bicyclic ketal frontalin as part of a complex semiochemical blend. A key regulated enzyme in the mevalonate pathway, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-R), showed high transcript levels in the anterior midgut of male Jeffrey pine beetles by in situ hybridization. HMG-R expression in this area of the alimentary canal was related to male emergence, where emerged males demonstrated significant up-regulation of HMG-R transcript and pre-emerged males showed only basal levels. Pre-emerged males were induced to express high levels of HMG-R transcript by treatment with juvenile hormone (JH) III. Additionally, isolated anterior midgut tissue from JH III-treated males converted radiolabeled acetate to frontalin, as assayed by radio-HPLC, providing strong evidence that this is the site of frontalin production in male beetles.