RNA mutations in the moth pheromone gland

DOI: 10.14800/rd.240

Abstract

After Darwin, I propose a theory to explain what happened before, i.e. before the tree of life and the emergence of all different organisms. In my view of the beginning of life, RNA mutations have played a central role. This is based on highlight results obtained recently in the female silkworm moth, Bombyx mori. Using gene, RNA and protein data, we revealed the occurrence of a high degree of RNA editing in the chemosensory protein (CSP) family specifically expressed in the pheromone gland. Tissue-specificity and high number of RNA and protein variants produced by point and frame shift mutations are in agreement with the hypothesis that RNA mutations are essential for the genesis of proteins with entirely new functions as prerequisite for evolution. In the moth pheromone gland, RNA editing and CSPs are proposed to regulate exocytotic processes required for pheromone biosynthesis and release. Understanding the mechanism of RNA editing controlling CSP expression in the pheromone gland in moths may allow us to better understand specific “genetic” diseases in human, particularly those associated with the common release mechanism of fatty acids and secretory granules in glandular cells.