Branched tyramides from males of the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius

Authors: TAPPEY, JONES - Virginia Military Institute; CHINTA, SATYA - Foresight Science & Technology; Vander Meer, Robert - Bob; CARTWRIGHT, KAITLYN - Virginia Military Institute

Submitted to: Naturwissenschaften
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/20/2023
Publication Date: 12/7/2023
Citation: Tappey, J., Chinta, S.P., Vander Meer, R.K., Cartwright, K.C. 2023. Branched tyramides from males of the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius. Naturwissenschaften. 110:57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-023-01885-2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-023-01885-2

Interpretive Summary: Tyramides are produced by males from the large Myrmicinae ant sub-family. Tyramides produced by red imported fire ants were identified and their function elucidated. The colony queen releases primer pheromones that inhibit reproductive development in her sexual daughters to prevent within colony competition. However, her sexual daughters need to overcome the queen’s primer pheromone immediately after mating. This is facilitated by male produced tyramides that are transferred to the winged female sexuals at mating during a mating flight. The female sexuals evolved the biosynthesis of a tyramide hydrolase that converts tyramides to the biogenic amine, tyramine. Tyramine is then transported into the hemolymph, where it is a ligand for tyramine receptors that trigger rapid reproductive development. While the fire ant, S. invicta, was the model for the tyramide/hydrolase mechanism it is expected that other Myrmicinae ant species will operate similarly, but with a different tyramide blend and the enzyme produced by males are expected to be different, thus providing another layer of species-specificity to the overall picture. Here we describe two methyl branched tyramides, one of which is a new tyramide structure detected in males of the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius.

Technical Abstract: Tyramides were discovered in males from the large: Hymenoptera:Formicidae:Myrmicinae ant sub-family (~6,830). Tyramides produced by red imported fire ants, (Solenopsis invicta Buren) were identified and their function elucidated. The colony queen releases primer pheromones that inhibit reproductive development in her sexual daughters to prevent within colony competition. However, her sexual daughters need to overcome the queen’s primer pheromone immediately after mating at a mating flight. This is facilitated by male produced tyramides that are transferred to the winged female sexuals at mating during a mating flight. The female sexuals evolved the biosynthesis of a tyramide hydrolase that converts tyramides to the biogenic amine, tyramine. Tyramine is then transported into the hemolymph, where it is a ligand for tyramine receptors that trigger rapid reproductive development in newly mated female sexuals. While the fire ant, S. invicta, is the model, the same mechanism is expected with other Myrmicinae sub-family ant species; however, the blend of tyramides and the enzyme produced by males are expected to be different, thus providing another layer of species-specificity to the overall picture. Here we describe two methyl branched tyramides, one of which is a new tyramide structure detected in males of the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius.