Exaptation as a Mechanism for Functional Reinforcement of an Animal Pheromone System Vrije Universiteit Brussel KU Leuven
Animal sex pheromone systems often exist as multicomponent signals [1–11] to which chemical cues have been added over evolutionary time. Little is known on why and how additional molecules become recruited and conserved in an already functional pheromone system. Here, we investigated the evolutionary trajectory of a series of 15 kDa proteins—termed persuasins—that were co-opted more recently alongside the ancient sodefrin precursor-like ...