The biosynthesis and metabolism of ecdysteroids during the metamorphosis of Drosophila melanogaster

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:7105735

Pak, M D

A combination of reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and differential radioimmunoassay (RIA) was used to identify and quantify ecdysteroids synthesized and metabolized during the prepupal to adult development of Drosophila. The larval and prepupal ring glands they both secreted three ecdysteroid species when incubated in vitro: ecdysone, 20-deoxymakisterone A, and an unidentified low polarity ecdysteroid. Ring glands from other cyclorrhaphous Diptera, Calliphora vicina and Sarcophaga bullata, secreted mainly ecdysone with a small amount of 3-dehydroecdysone. When Drosophila ring glands were stimulated in vitro with neural extract, presumed to contain the prothoracicotropic hormone, the production of all three ecdysteroids was stimulated to a similar degree. The whole body ecdysteroid titer during prepupal-adult development revealed two small peaks a few hours after pupariation and at pupation, followed by a large peak approximately 30 hours after pupariation. After secretion of ecdysone and 20-deoxymakisterone A by the ring gland, they are converted to 20-hydroxyecdysone and makisterone A, respectively, as determined by RP-HPLC and RIA.

• Research Organization: North Carolina Univ., Chapel Hill, NC (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7105735
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550201* -- Biochemistry-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANIMALS
ARTHROPODS
BIOASSAY
BIOSYNTHESIS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DIPTERA
DROSOPHILA
FLIES
FRUIT FLIES
IMMUNOASSAY
IMMUNOLOGY
INSECTS
INVERTEBRATES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
LIQUID COLUMN CHROMATOGRAPHY
METABOLISM
METAMORPHOSIS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RADIOASSAY
RADIOIMMUNOASSAY
RADIOIMMUNODETECTION
RADIOIMMUNOLOGY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
STEROIDS
SYNTHESIS
TRACER TECHNIQUES