PHEROMONE-INDUCED 2ND-MESSENGER SIGNALING IN INSECT ANTENNAE

Antennal preparations from Heliothis virescens respond to a blend of sex-pheromone components with a rapid and transient inositol trisphosphate signal in the subsecond time range that is supposed to be the primary reaction of the chemo-electrical transduction process. The pheromone-induced second messenger response is species- and sex-specific. The major component of the blend (Z-11-hexadecenal) is much more potent than one of the minor components (Z-9-tetradecenal). Application of high pheromone doses elicited a delayed and sustained increase of cyclic GMP. Elevated cGMP-levels significantly reduced the pheromone-induced IP3-response, indicating a considerable cross-talk between both second messenger pathways and suggesting that cGMP may be involved in adaptation of antennal receptor cells.