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Science 26 November 1982:
Vol. 218. no. 4575, pp. 896 - 898
DOI: 10.1126/science.218.4575.896
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Articles

Larval Testes of the Tobacco Budworm: A New Source of Insect Ecdysteroids

MARCIA J. LOEB 1, CHARLES W. WOODS 1, ETHEL P. BRANDT 1, and ALEXEJ B. BOAKOVEC 1

1 Insect Reproduction Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland 20705

Testes of last-instar larvae of the tobacco budworm release five times more ecdysteroid into incubation medium (judged by radioimmunoassay) in 2.5 hours than is found in testis homogenates. Incubation of testicular components indicates that the testis sheath may be the site of ecdysteroid synthesis. Fractionation of hemalymph, testis homogenate, and incubation medium by high-performance liquid chromatography produces a distinct ecdysteroid pattern in each case. Thus, released testis ecdysteroids are probably converted to other forms for use, sequestration, or general circulation. Their functions are unknown.

Submitted on February 26, 1982
Revised on May 10, 1982


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Anopheles gambiae males produce and transfer the vitellogenic steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone to females during mating.
E. Pondeville, A. Maria, J.-C. Jacques, C. Bourgouin, and C. Dauphin-Villemant (2008)
PNAS 105, 19631-19636
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)