Insects possess substrate-specific catabolic enzymes that are important in the clearance of pheromone from their sensory tissues, l but the precise role of these enzymes in signal transduction is poorly understood. It appears that the major role of these catabolic enzymes is to convert stimulatory pheromones to nonstimulatory products, thus preventing sensory adaptation. In the Lepidoptera, the male monitors a pheromone plume emitted by the ...
