Lepidopteran alkenyl sex pheromones

In Lepidoptera, the CYP4 clan CYP341B14 and CYP340BD2 are epoxidases in alkenyl sex pheromone biosynthesis (Rong et al., 2014, 2019a, b). These P450s are found in large P450 blooms that include P450s from species which do not make epoxidized pheromones. Similarly, in the tea black tussock moth (Dasychira baibarana) CYP341B65 has been proposed as the epoxidase, based on transcript enrichment in the pheromone gland (Wang et al. 2024).

The “type II” pheromones of Lepidoptera that contain epoxy or hydroxy groups have been described in Professor Ando's laboratory website (https://lepipheromone.sakura.ne.jp/lepi_phero_list). Some examples are shown below.