Acetylation of alcohols in the pheromone biosynthesis of the tomato looper, Chrysodeixis chalcites (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

A series of C11-C14 alcohols, varying in the number, position and geometry of double bonds, was applied topically to the sex pheromone glands of the tomato looper, Chrysodeixis chalcites, in order to study the acetylation step in the pheromone biosynthesis of this moth. Each application contained one of the alcohols and (Z)-11-tetradecenol, in equimolar amounts, as a metabolic standard for comparison of the relative conversion of the alcohols to acetates in the terminal biosynthetic step. One secondary and one tertiary alcohol were also included in the study. All alcohols were converted to the corresponding acetates at similar relative rates indicating that this step has a very low substrate specificity. One alcohol, (Z)-9-dodecenol was applied to the glands of head ligated females, which produces very small amounts of pheromone, in order to investigate the relation between the total biosynthesis of the pheromone and the acetylation step. The decrease in pheromone biosynthesis due to ligation of the head did not affect the acetylation step.