Bombykol, a volatile 16-carbon alcohol, is an insect sex pheromone that is used to attract male mates[1]. Bombykol binds to B. mori olfactory receptor 1 (BmOR-1), thereby activating the Ca2+-dependent Cl- channels and related signaling pathways within the cells, thereby inducing the mating behavior of the insect[2]. Bombykol has been widely used as an internal standard to optimize the chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis parameters for the precise identification of different isomers and related compounds[3].
References:[1] Sandler B H, Nikonova L, Leal W S, et al. Sexual attraction in the silkworm moth: structure of the pheromone-binding-protein–bombykol complex[J]. Chemistry & biology, 2000, 7(2): 143-151.
[2] Sakurai T, Nakagawa T, Mitsuno H, et al. Identification and functional characterization of a sex pheromone receptor in the silkmoth Bombyx mori[J]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2004, 101(47): 16653-16658.
[3] Fujii T, Sakurai T, Mitsuno H, et al. Pheromonal activities of the bombykol isomer,(10E, 12E)-10, 12-hexadecadien-1-ol, in the pheromone gland of the silkmoth Bombyx mori[J]. Journal of insect physiology, 2020, 121: 104018.