Controlled ecdysteroid accumulation in eggs of the silkworm,Bombyx mori,by an imidazole compound (KK-42), and embryogenesis in these eggs

An imidazole compound (KK-42), a potent inhibitor of ecdysone synthesis, was applied to the female pharate adult of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, to control ecdysteroid accumulation in developing ovaries and mature eggs. KK-42 applied on day 2 or later completely suppressed an increase in ecdysteroid content in developing ovaries. The inhibitory action of KK-42 was restricted to vitellogenic follicles, i.e., those in which active ecdysteroid synthesis is occurring. Ecdysteroid content in the mature eggs of moths remained at the level accumulated in ovaries before KK-42 application. Thus, KK-42 was shown to be a novel agent to suppress the ecdysteroid accumulation in eggs. Eggs containing different amounts of ecdysteroids showed different levels of embryonic development. About 80% of the eggs which contained less than 10 ng free ecdysteroids/g eggs were not fertilized. More than 80% of the eggs containing less than 40 ng/g eggs of free ecdysteroids initiated embryogenesis but failed to hatch. Larvae hatched from almost all eggs which accumulated free ecdysteroids of more than 150 ng/g. Thus, maternal ecdysteroids appear to be required at different titers for fertilization, embryogenesis, and hatching of the silkworm larvae. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.