Effect of dietary amino acid on the amino acid pool of Aedes aegypti

Ion-exchange chromatography analysis of whole body extracts of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which had received amino acids in their diet revealed that generally there were changes in the titre of two or more amino acids. Cysteine produced the greatest number of changes and was toxic to the insect. Of the ten amino acids provided, none resulted in the significant change in the concentration of tyrosine following a blood meal as was observed in previous studies. Evidence is presented for the conversion of arginine to ornithine and for the synthesis of arginine from glutamic acid. The data presented tend to support the hypothesis of lysine synthesis from α-ketoglutarate and for the use of proline as an energy reserve in the insect.