Molecular cloning of newt sex pheromone precursor cDNAs: evidence for the existence of species-specific forms of pheromones.

Cloning of cDNA encoding a decapeptide pheromone (sodefrin) that attracts conspecific female newts was attempted. A cDNA clone encoding a protein consisting of 189 amino acid residues including a sodefrin sequence was isolated from a Cynops pyrrhogaster abdominal gland cDNA library. Likewise, a cDNA clone encoding a molecule comparable to the sodefrin precursor was obtained from a Cynops ensicauda abdominal gland cDNA library. This clone encoded a precursor protein of 192 amino acid residues, including a sodefrin-like peptide sequence with substitutions of two amino acid residues. This is the first report of a peptide pheromone precursor in vertebrates.