Juvenile hormone synthesis by ring glands of the blowfly Lucilia cuprina

• Published in: Archives of insect biochemistry and physiology Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 239 - 253
• Main Authors: East, P.D. (CSIRO, Canberra, ACT, Australia.), Sutherland, T.D, Trowell, S.C, Herlt, A.J, Rickards, R.W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 1997
• Subjects: BIOSINTESIS; BIOSYNTHESE; blowfly; Calliphoridae; CULTIVO DE TEJIDOS; CULTURE DE TISSU; DESARROLLO BIOLOGICO; DEVELOPPEMENT BIOLOGIQUE; GLANDE ANIMALE; GLANDULAS ANIMALES; HORMONAS JUVENILES; HORMONE JUVENILE; juvenile hormone III bisepoxide; LARVAS; LARVE; LUCILIA CUPRINA; METABOLITE; METABOLITOS; PUPAS; PUPE; ring gland
• ISSN: 0739-4462; 1520-6327
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1520-6327(1997)34:2<239::AID-ARCH8>3.0.CO;2-R

The major radiolabelled product released from ring gland and brain-ring gland complexes of third instar larval and pre-pupal stages of the sheep blowfly Lucilia cuprina upon incubation with L-[methyl-3H]methionine corresponded to one diastereomer of juvenile hormone III bisepoxide (JHB3). Endocrine glands incubated with the juvenile hormone precursor 2E,6E-farnesoic acid released increased quantities of JHB3, together with significant amounts of juvenile hormone III but not the isomeric methyl 2E-6,7-epoxyfarnesoate. Synthesis of JHB3 was developmentally and neurally regulated. Ring glands and brain-ring gland complexes from third instar larvae released more JHB3 than comparable preparations from pre-pupae, while isolated corpus allatum segments of the gland were more active than intact brain-gland complexes. These results reinforce the emerging status of JHB3 as the characteristic juvenile hormone of dipteran insects