Scientists have recently uncovered the secrets of deadly sand flies and found their secret pheromone weapon for attracting mates – a special enzyme! Not only is this a breakthrough in research, it could also be the key to developing targeted traps to control the sand fly that can spread leishmaniasis. A team from the University of Nottingham discovered this “terpene synthase” responsible for the production of sobralene pheromones after in-depth study of the Lutzomyia longipalpis sand fly distributed in Brazil and South America.
Not only can these sand flies spread the worrying disease leishmaniasis, but they also have a special skill – they use the pheromone “sobralene” to attract mates. Think of it like the perfume of the insect world, allowing sand flies to find each other and have a courtship dance. The study’s findings are not only a big step forward for science, but also provide new ideas for designing specialized traps that may help reduce the numbers of these insects and, hopefully, reduce the spread of leishmaniasis.
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Pheromones are like the perfume of insects
This is Lutzomyia longipalpis, a sand fly native to Brazil and South America that can transmit a disease called leishmaniasis. Image source: University of Nottingham.
Leishmaniasis is mainly transmitted through the bite of a sand fly, which may cause skin ulcers, lesions, and even symptoms such as fever, weight loss, and enlarged spleen and liver in severe cases. This special attraction is important for sand flies because they need to consume large amounts of tree sap to survive, and these eating habits are key to their spread of disease.
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The research is significant, not only by revealing how insects use chemicals to communicate, but it may also open a new pathway for the sustained production of this pheromones through biocatalysis. Professor Neil Oldham said that the process of finding this enzyme was challenging, but in the end they found the key. Next, they will try to engineer microorganisms to produce this pheromone, which if commercialized could be a new way to control these insect populations and reduce the spread of disease.
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Source of the first picture: University of Nottingham cc By4.0
Reference papers:
1.A novel diterpene synthase from the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis produces the pheromone sobralene
Further reading:
1.Mosquitoes spread ‘flesh-eating ulcers’: Australian research breaks 80-year-old mystery
