鞭角华扁叶蜂蜕皮甾类激素滴度的变化

用放射免疫分析法测定了鞭角华扁叶蜂Chinolyda flagellicornis末龄幼虫及滞育预蛹血淋巴中蜕皮甾类激素滴度。结果表明,末龄幼虫血淋巴中蜕皮甾类激素滴度在第2和4天各有一高峰;滞育预蛹血淋巴中保持一定滴度的蜕皮甾类激素,并随发育时期的不同有所波动;预蛹化蛹前一周血淋巴中蜕皮甾类激素滴度存在两个与变态相对应的峰值。表明鞭角华扁叶蜂的滞育与蜕皮甾类激素相关。     

冷诱导亚洲玉米螟幼虫产生甘油的研究

本文以亚洲玉米螟Ostrinia furnacalis末龄老熟幼虫为材料,研究了冷诱导对血淋巴、脂肪体和脂肪体体外培养液甘油含量的影响.结果表明,室内人工饲养的滞育幼虫和非滞育幼虫在冷处理后,血淋巴中甘油浓度和脂肪体培养液中甘油含量都随冷处理天数的增加而增长,但滞育幼虫高于非滞育幼虫.与此同时,培养前后的脂肪体中甘油含量却随冷处理天数的增加而下降,而且培养前与培养后无明显差别.冷诱导的非滞育幼虫血淋巴中甘油的积累不受颈部结扎的影响.初冬田间滞育幼虫血淋巴中甘油浓度与冷处理35天的室内人工饲养滞育幼虫的甘油浓度相近;冬末田间滞育幼虫血淋巴中甘油浓度与冷处理95天的室内人工饲养滞育幼虫的甘油浓度相同,比初冬增长了50％左右.但冬末幼虫脂肪体培养液和培养前后的脂肪体中甘油含量都明显下降.以上结果说明亚洲玉米螟滞育幼虫和非滞育幼虫都具有对冷诱导产生反应的能力,它们的脂肪体都能在冷诱导之后合成与分泌甘油;所不同的是,滞育幼虫比非滞育幼虫产生甘油的能力更强,因而抗寒力也更大.     

桑蚕促前胸腺激素的作用与前胸腺分泌活动的某些特点

本工作以前胸腺的体外器官培养技术和蜕皮激素的放射免疫分析法(MH-RIA)相结合,研究了桑蚕(Bombyx mori)促前胸腺激素(PTTH)的作用与前胸腺分泌的某些特点。结果表明,被PTTH激活后的前胸腺,在一定的时相过程内合成并分泌脱皮甾类激素;前胸腺本体不积累蜕皮甾类激素;PTTH对前胸腺的作用是积累性的;五龄不同天数的前胸腺合成分泌脱皮甾类激素的能力不同,并有不同的剂量反应。     

昆虫激素和抗激素类在蚕业上的应用研究进展

控制家蚕幼虫蜕变和变态的内分泌系统是脑一咽侧体一前胸腺。咽侧体分泌的保幼激素（JH）和前胸腺分泌的蜕皮激素（MH）调节着家蚕的幼虫蜕皮、变态等生命现象,而脑分泌的促咽侧体激素和促前胸腺激素又控制着这两种腺体的分泌活动。家蚕的MH和JH的化学结构早在60年代中期被先后阐明,70年代后对这两种主要激素在血淋巴中的浓度已能精确定量,从而阐明了发生幼虫蜕皮和变态的激素环境。与此同时,发现了一些天然化合物能影响家蚕正常的内分泌活动,导致早熟变态和其他生理变化（如体色变化、生有障碍等）,称之为抗激素类物质。家蚕内分…     

甜菜夜蛾促前胸腺激素cDNA的克隆和表达

利用兼并引物扩增出甜菜夜蛾(Spodoptera exigua, Spe)的促前胸腺激素(prothoracicotropic hormone, PTTH) cDNA, 克隆和测序结果显示出PTTH cDNA编码226个氨基酸的开放阅读框: 包括信号肽、1个功能未知的肽和PTTH. 和其他已知物种的PTTH比较, 甜菜夜蛾和夜蛾科昆虫有较高的同源性, 和蚕蛾科和大蚕蛾科昆虫的相似性稍低, 但是PTTH分子中的7个半胱氨酸残基的位置是非常保守的. 整体免疫组织化学检测发现PTTH表达在甜菜夜蛾脑中的2对神经分泌细胞中. Northern杂交表明在脑中有高丰度的PTTH mRNA存在, 分子大小约为1.2 kb. 半定量RT-PCR检测了PTTH在幼虫期和蛹期的发育变化, 显示出PTTH表达和蜕皮变态有密切的关系, 暗示PTTH在甜菜夜蛾行使其生物学功能很可能是通过刺激前胸腺合成和分泌蜕皮激素来完成的.     

印楝素对亚洲玉米螟幼虫生长发育的影响

本文报道印楝素对亚洲玉米螟Ostrinia furnacalis Guene幼虫生长发育的抑制作用和引起幼虫各器官的病变症状。用含20ppm印楝素的人工饲料饲喂亚洲玉米螟3—4龄幼虫2天,然后换入正常饲料,可使幼虫期显著延长,最后不能化蛹而死亡。印楝素对幼虫的作用是缓慢的,虫体受药后还可发育一个龄期。处理幼虫的行为失常,取食动作逐渐消失,主要靠消耗体内的水分和脂肪来维持生命。幼虫的胸足变黑,胸部出现褐色斑,这些部位的表皮分层不正常,真皮细胞坏死或自溶。处理幼虫的大脑萎缩,生殖器官和前胸腺肿大,前胸腺细胞膜厚而松散,血淋巴中β-蜕皮酮含量显著降低。从整个中毒症状来看,印楝素可能作用于亚洲玉米螟幼虫的神经和内分泌系统,从而逐渐引起各器官的病变。     

东方粘虫末龄幼虫血淋巴蜕皮甾类滴度的变化及促前胸腺激素对前胸腺的活化作用

东方粘虫六龄幼虫血淋巴蜕皮甾类滴度,在幼虫的取食生长期一直处在很低的水平(<6pg/μl血淋巴),其后于徘徊期的前一天开始升高,至预蛹期形成唯一的1个高峰(～450pg/μl血淋巴)。前胸腺离体培养的结果表明,前胸腺分泌活力与血淋巴蜕皮甾类滴度的动态呈基本平行的趋势,只是较后者超前了约24小时。促前胸腺激素粗提物能直接活化离体前胸分泌蜕皮甾类。粘虫六龄2日龄(LVI_2)幼虫的前胸腺已能被促前胸腺激素活化,说明此时的前胸腺对促前胸腺激素已具感受性。     

硬蜱中蜕皮激素含量的变化(英语)

为阐明蜕皮激素在硬蜱发育和生殖中的作用,用高效液相色谱法(HPLC)和放射免疫测定法测定了银盾革蜱和长角血蜱中饱血和产卵前后雌虫整体、血淋巴、合神经节及卵巢中蜕皮激素含量的变化.此外,还用HPLC测定了长角血蜱的卵和幼虫中蜕皮激素的含量.结果表明:在饱血前雌虫整体中蜕皮激素含量的变化不大,饱血后迅速增加.血淋巴中的蜕皮激素在饱血后第5天(即产卵前1天)达到高峰,可做为产卵的信号.合神经节中蜕皮激素含量的高峰在饱血后第5天,与血淋巴中高峰出现的时间一致,这与神经分泌细胞的分泌活性变化相吻合.从饱血后第3天起,卵巢中蜕皮激素含量增加很快,直到产卵时止,在长角血蜱的卵中也测到α-蜕皮素,来源于卵巢,随胚胎发育进程其含量逐渐增加.卵产出后第4天到第12天,蜕皮激素的含量增加十几倍.     

型变过程中亚洲小车蝗体内保幼激素滴度及其代谢相关基因表达量的变化

【目的】本研究旨在明确亚洲小车蝗Oedaleus asiaticus在不同发育阶段和型变过程中的保幼激素(juvenile hormone, JH) JHⅢ滴度及其代谢相关基因表达量的变化情况，为阐明保幼激素调控亚洲小车蝗型变中的生理功能奠定基础。【方法】采用高效液相色谱法测定散居型和群居型亚洲小车蝗不同发育阶段(4和5龄若虫及1, 4, 7, 10, 13和20日龄成虫)和3龄若虫群居化处理1, 3, 5和7 d时亚洲小车蝗血淋巴中的保幼激素JHⅢ的滴度变化；用qRT-PCR检测在群居化处理亚洲小车蝗3龄若虫1, 3, 5和7 d时保幼激素代谢相关的3种基因保幼激素酯酶(juvenile hormone esterase, JHE)基因、保幼激素甲基转移酶(juvenile hormone methyltransferase, JHAMT)基因和保幼激素环氧水解酶(juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase, JHEH)基因的表达量；利用JHⅢ浸液处理散居型亚洲小车蝗3龄若虫后进行群居化处理，测定亚洲小车蝗型变率。【结果】JHⅢ在亚洲小车蝗血淋巴中的滴度甚微...     

脑及前胸腺对蓖麻蚕化蛹的作用

前言 昆虫内分泌中心的存在,已为科学工作者所承认。前胸腺激素控制昆虫的蜕皮,已在鳞翅目、半翅目和直翅目等目中证实。近年来,对昆虫脑激素作用的重要性,尤其是它在内分泌系统中所起的主导作用,已逐渐明确。 Kope(1922)除去舞毒蛾(Lymantria)末龄第2天幼虫的脑,幼虫不能化蛹;如在末龄10天后去脑,则对化蛹并无影响。Kope认为脑是控制化蛹的中心。一些作者在其它鳞翅目昆虫中也获得同样的结果。 后来福田(1940)在家蚕中发现前胸腺对化蛹起重要的作用,并认为前胸腺分泌的激素对化蛹起控制作用。     

Stage-dependent effects of starvation on the growth, metamorphosis, and ecdysteroidogenesis by the prothoracic glands during the last larval instar of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

The stage-dependent effects of starvation on the growth, metamorphosis, and ecdysteroidogenesis of the prothoracic glands during the last larval instar of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, were studied in the present study. When last instar larvae were starved beginning on day 1 of that instar, all larvae died between days 5 and 7 of the instar. Although the prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) release from the brain-corpus cardiacum-corpus allatum (BR-CC-CA) did not significantly change during starvation, a deficiency in PTTH signal transduction was maintained, which led to very low levels of hemolymph ecdysteroids after the beginning of starvation. However, when starvation began on day 3 of the last larval instar, the major hemolymph ecdysteroid peak, preceding larval-pupal transformation, occurred 1 day earlier than that in control larvae. Protein content of the prothoracic glands in day 3-starved larvae was maintained at a low level as compared to that of control larvae. The secretory activity of the prothoracic glands in day 3-starved larvae was maintained at a level similar to that of control larvae. However, the rate of ecdysteroidogenesis, expressed per microgram of glandular protein, was greatly enhanced in these starved larvae, indicating that upon starvation, larvae increased the ecdysteroid production rate to enhance the rate of survival.     

Analysis of ecdysteroidogenic activity of the prothoracic glands during the last larval instar of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

The cellular mechanism underlying ecdysteroidogenesis throughout the last larval instar of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, was analyzed by determining the in vitro ecdysteroid secretory activity of the prothoracic glands and cAMP accumulation of gland cells, as well as changes in responsiveness to stimulation by prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) and 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine (MIX). It was found that the prothoracic glands during the first 3 days of the last instar cannot produce detectable ecdysteroid and showed no response to stimulation by PTTH or 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine (MIX). However, artificial elevation of cellular cAMP levels by in vitro dibutyryl cAMP treatment stimulated the glands to secrete detectable ecdysteroid, implying the presence of a cAMP-dependent ecdysteroidogenic apparatus during this stage. From days 3 to 8, basal gland activities fluctuated, but the glands showed activation responses to PTTH and to the chemicals that increase cellular cAMP levels. After the occurrence of the peak in basal gland activity on day 9, glands on day 10 showed no response to PTTH, implying a refractory state of the glands to PTTH stimulation. For cAMP accumulation, it was found that glands on day 2 began to show increased cAMP accumulation to PTTH, implying that the acquisition of gland competency for elevation of cAMP levels after stimulation by PTTH precedes that of ecdysteroid production. Moreover, during most parts of the last larval instar (between days 3 and 8) and at the pupation stage, greatly increased cAMP accumulation upon stimulation by PTTH was observed only in the presence of MIX, indicating that cAMP phosphodiesterase levels may be high during these stages. From these results, we concluded that development-specific PTTH signal transduction during the last larval instar, which shows a different pattern from that of the penultimate larval instar, may play an important role in regulating changes in prothoracic gland activity and in leading to larval-pupal metamorphosis.     

Effects of RH-5992 on ecdysteroidogenesis of the prothoracic glands during the fourth larval instar of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Stage-dependent effects of RH-5992 on ecdysteroidogenesis of the prothoracic glands during the fourth larval instar of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, were studied in the present report. When larvae were treated with RH-5992 during the early stages of the fourth larval instar (between day 0 and day 1), initially ecdysteroid levels in the hemolymph were inhibited. However, 24 h after RH-5992 application, ecdysteroid levels were greatly increased as compared with those treated with acetone. The examination of the in vitro prothoracic gland activity upon RH-5992 application during the early stages of the fourth larval instar confirmed a short-term inhibitory effect. When RH-5992 was applied to the later stages of the fourth larval instar, no effects on both hemolymph ecdysteroid levels and prothoracic gland activity were observed. Addition of RH-5992 to incubation medium strongly inhibited ecdysteroid secretion by the prothoracic glands from the early fourth instar, indicating direct action of RH-5992 on ecdysteroidogenesis by prothoracic glands. Four hours after application with RH-5992 on day 1.5, prothoracic glands still showed an activated response to PTTH in both PTTH-cAMP signaling and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling. Moreover, addition of RH-5992 to incubation medium did not interfere with the stimulatory effect of the glands to PTTH in ecdysteroidogenesis. These results indicated that both PTTH-cAMP signaling and PTTH-ERK signaling may not be involved in short-term inhibitory regulation by RH-5992.     

Decreased JH biosynthesis is related to precocious metamorphosis in recessive trimolter (rt) mutants of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

In recessive trimolter (rt) mutants of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, that have four larval instars rather than five larval instars of normal B. mori, a decrease after a small increase in the hemolymph ecdysteroid titer during the early stages of the last (fourth) larval instar appeared to be a prerequisite for larvae to undergo precocious metamorphosis. The present study was carried out to investigate the possible mechanism underlying this decrease in the ecdysteroid titer. It was found that juvenile hormone (JH) biosynthetic activity of the corpora allata (CA) increased during the first day of the last larval instar, but its absolute JH biosynthesis activity was relatively lower compared to that of normal fourth-instar larvae in tetramolters. This lowered JH biosynthetic activity appeared to be related to a decrease in prothoracic gland ecdysteroidogenesis during the second day of the last instar, because hydroprene application prevented this decrease in prothoracic gland ecdysteroidogenesis, leading to the induction of a supernumerary larval molt. The in vitro incubation of prothoracic glands with hydroprene showed that hydroprene did not directly exert its action on prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) release. Further study showed that the application of hydroprene enhanced the competency of the glands to respond to PTTH. From these results, it was supposed that the lowered JH biosynthesis of the CA during the first day of last instar in rt mutants was related to decreased ecdysteroidogenesis in the prothoracic glands during the second day, thus playing a role in leading to precocious metamorphosis.     

Positive feedback regulation of prothoracicotropic hormone secretion by ecdysteroid – A mechanism that determines the timing of metamorphosis

When insect larvae have fully grown, prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) is released from the brain, triggering the initiation of metamorphic development through stimulation of ecdysteroid secretion by the prothoracic glands. The present study analyzes the mechanism that regulates the occurrence of this PTTH surge. In the silkworm Bombyx mori, the PTTH surge occurs on day 6 of the fifth instar and is preceded by a small rise in hemolymph ecdysteroid titer, which occurs late on day 5. We therefore hypothesized that this rise of ecdysteroid titer is involved in the induction of the PTTH surge. To test this hypothesis, two experiments were conducted. First, a small amount of 20-hydroxyecdysone was injected on day 4, two days before the expected day of the PTTH surge, to simulate the small rise in hemolymph ecdysteroid titer on day 5. This injection led to a precocious surge of PTTH the next day. Next, the hemolymph ecdysteroid titer on day 5 was artificially lowered by injecting ecdysteroid-22-oxidase, which inactivates 20-hydroxyecdysone. After this treatment, the PTTH surge did not occur on day 6 in 80% of the animals. These results indicate that a small rise of the hemolymph ecdysteroid titer plays a critical role in the induction of the PTTH surge. Since basal ecdysteroidogenic activity of the prothoracic glands increases with larval growth, a circulating level of ecdysteroids may convey information about larval maturity to the brain, to coordinate larval growth and metamorphosis. This is the first report in invertebrates to demonstrate positive feedback regulation of the surge of a tropic hormone by a downstream steroid hormone.     

Developmental arrest induced by juvenile hormone in larvae of Bombyx mori

Injection of the juvenile hormone analog (JHA) methoprene into day 3, fifthinstar larvae of Bombyx mori induced developmental arrest. Feeding activity declined, and the larvae remained as larvae for more than 2 weeks, after which they died. After JHA injection, the hemolymph ecdysteroid titer was low, and the prothoracic glands were almost inactive for 7 days. During this period, prothoracic glands were stimulated by prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) in vitro, indicating that JHA did not inhibit the competence of the glands to respond to PTTH. When brain-corpora cardiaca-corpora allata complexes were removed from intact fifth-instar larvae on day 4, the prothoracic glands became autonomously active and produced enough ecdysone for pupation. When PTTH injections were given to larvae previously injected with JHA (7 days before), the larvae recovered feeding activity, purged their guts, and pupated. Injections of 20-hydroxyecdysone into larvae that had been injected with JHA 7 days earlier induced larval molting. These results suggest that JHA affects both the brain and the prothoracic gland.     

Temporal analysis of ecdysteroidogenic activity of the prothoracic glands during the fourth larval instar of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

The cellular mechanism underlying ecdysteroidogenesis during the fourth larval instar of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, was analyzed by determining the in vitro ecdysteroid biosynthetic activity of the prothoracic glands, cAMP accumulation of the gland cells, the in vitro release of prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH), etc. According to the differential responsiveness of prothoracic glands to PTTH, dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP), and 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine (MIX), the following different stages were classified and changes in PTTH signal transduction were assumed. During the first stage (between days 0 and 1), the glands showed low basal and PTTH-stimulated activities in both cAMP accumulation and ecdysteroidogenesis, and PTTH release in vitro was maintained at low but detectable levels, implying that a low but sustained PTTH signal may be transduced to prothoracic gland cells. On day 1.5, when low basal ecdysteroid production of the prothoracic glands was being maintained, both the responsiveness of glands to the stimulation of PTTH and PTTH release in vitro dramatically increased, indicating greatly increased PTTH transduction. On day 3 (when the basal ecdysteroidogenesis became maximal) and afterwards, high PTTH release in vitro was maintained, but the gland showed no response to PTTH, implying that the refractoriness of gland cells to PTTH may occur at this stage. We assume that the development-specific changes in PTTH signal transduction during the penultimate larval instar may play a critical role in regulating changes in ecdysteroidogenesis of the prothoracic glands.     

Developmental changes in hemolymph ecdysteroid level and prothoracicotropic hormone activity during the fifth larval instar of the Eri silkworm, Samia cynthia ricini

Developmental changes in hemolymph ecdysteroid level, ecdysteroid synthesis by prothoracic glands （PGs） in vitro, prothoracicotropic hormone （PTTH） activity in brain extracts, and PTTH activity in the hemolymph were measured during the fifth larval instar of the Eri silkworm, Samia cynthia ricini. The changing patterns of hemolymph ecdysteroid level and ecdysteroid synthesis by laGs in vitro are similar to each other, with maximums on day 9. However, on this day, hemolymph ecdysteroid level was substantially higher than ecdysteroid synthesis by PGs in vitro suggesting a high PTTH activity in the hemolymph on day 9. Moreover, the changing pattern of PTTH activity in brain extracts is also similar to that of PTTH activity in the hemolymph, both peaking on day 9. However, on this day, activity in brain extracts was much smaller than PTTH activity in the hemolymph implying that most PTTH synthesized by the brain is secreted to the hemolymph and the brain stores a very little amount of PTTH. This study provides unique insights onto the hormonal regulation of ecdysteroid synthesis in the Eri silkworm and is useful for our future studies on signal transduction of insect neurolaelatides.     

Regulation and significance of ecdysteroid titre fluctuations in lepidopterous larvae and pupae

The last larval moult of Galleria mellonella is induced by an elevation of ecdysteroid titre to more than 200 ng/g. After ecdysis the titre remains very low until 70 hr of the last-instar when a slight elevation in ecdysteroid concentration initiates the onset of metamorphosis. An ecdysteroid peak (275 ng/g), which occurs between 108 and 144 hr, is associated with wandering and cocoon spinning. Pupal ecdysis follows about 20 hr after a large ecdysteroid peak (780 ng/g) with a maximum in slowly-mobile prepupae (160 hr of the last larval instar). The ecdysteroid decrease between the two peaks coincides with the period when the larvae exposed to unfavourable conditions enter diapause. The pupal-adult moult is initiated by a high ecdysteroid peak (1500–2500 ng/g) in early pupae and imaginal cuticle is secreted in response to a smaller peak (ca. 500 ng/g) in the middle of pupal instar.Until early pupae, the ecdysteroid content is regulated by the prothoracic glands. In decapitated larvae the glands become spontaneously active after 30–40 days and the body titre of ecdysteroids undergoes an increase; the glands revert to inactivity when the insects accomplish secretion of pupal cuticle. A similar ecdysteroid increase occurs within 10 days when the decapitated larvae receive implants of brains releasing the prothoracicotropic neurohormone (PTTH). In either case, the pupation-inducing increase of ecdysteroids is 3 times higher than the large ecdysteroid peak in the last-instar of intact larvae. This indicates that the function of prothoracic glands in intact larvae is restrained, probably by the juvenile hormone (JH). Exogenous JH suppresses the spontaneous activation of the prothoracic glands in decapitated larvae and reduces the ecdysteroid concentration in those larvae (both decapitated and intact), whose glands were activated by PTTH. Furthermore, JH influences the PTTH release from the brain in situ: depending on JH concentration and the age and size of treated larvae, the PTTH liberation is either accelerated or delayed.Neither in G. mellonella larvae, nor in the diapausing pupae of Hyalophora cecropia and Celerio euphorbiae, does JH directly activate the prothoracic glands. It is suggested that the induction of the moult by JH in decerebrate insects, which has been observed in some species, is either due to indirect stimulation of ecdysteroid production or to increased sensitivity of target tissues to ecdysteroids. In G. mellonella, a moult occurs at a 5–15 times lower than usual ecdysteroid concentration when the last-instar larvae are exposed to JH.     

Intracellular calcium in prothoracic glands of Manduca sexta

Cytosolic free calcium was measured in individual prothoracic gland cells of Manduca larvae with Fura-2. During the last larval instar there was no correlation between intracellular calcium concentration and ecdysteroid secretion by the glands. The addition of prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) from brains of Manduca larvae to prothoracic glands in vitro resulted in a significant increase in the calcium concentration of the gland cells. The effect of PTTH was inhibited by the inorganic calcium channel antagonists, cadmium, lanthanum and nickel, and by the antagonist of T-type calcium channels, amiloride, whereas all the other antagonists tested failed to block the action of PTTH. TMB-8, an inhibitor of intracellular calcium mobilization, did not reduce the PTTH-induced rise in calcium, which suggests that IP(3)-dependent intracellular calcium stores are not involved in the calcium-mediated stimulation of ecdysteroid synthesis. Moreover, PTTH is thought to increase intracellular calcium in prothoracic glands of Manduca by influencing calcium channels in the plasma membrane.