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Rumbo M, Pagone V, Piulachs MD. Diverse functions of the ecdysone receptor (EcR) in the panoistic ovary of the German cockroach. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2023; 156:103935. [PMID: 36996928 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2023.103935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Ecdysone regulates essential processes in insect life. Perhaps the most well-known of these are related to metamorphosis. However, ecdysone is also required to regulate the proliferation and differentiation of germ cells in the ovary. The role of ecdysone in insect oogenesis has been studied in depth in holometabolan species with meroistic ovaries, such as Drosophila melanogaster, while in hemimetabolan species with panoistic ovaries their functions are still poorly understood. In the present work, we studied the role of ecdysone in the ovary of the last nymphal instar of the cockroach Blattella germanica by using RNA interference to reduce the levels of the ecdysone receptor (EcR), and thereby deplete the expression of ecdysteroidogenic genes in the prothoracic gland. However, the expression of ecdysteroidogenic genes was upregulated in the ovary, resulting in cell overproliferation in the germarium, which appeared swollen. By analysing the expression of genes that respond to ecdysone, we found that when the source of 20E is the nymphal ovary, EcR appears to repress 20E-associated genes bypassing early genes signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rumbo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC- Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - V Pagone
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC- Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M D Piulachs
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC- Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
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Ramos S, Chelemen F, Pagone V, Elshaer N, Irles P, Piulachs MD. Eyes absent in the cockroach panoistic ovaries regulates proliferation and differentiation through ecdysone signalling. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2020; 123:103407. [PMID: 32417417 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2020.103407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Eyes absent (Eya), is a protein structurally conserved from hydrozoans to humans, for which two basic roles have been reported: it can act as a transcription cofactor and as a protein tyrosine phosphatase. Eya was discovered in the fly Drosophila melanogaster in relation to its function in eye development, and the same function was later reported in other insects. Eya is also involved in insect oogenesis, although studies in this sense are limited to D. melanogaster, which has meroistic ovaries, and where eya mutations abolish gonad formation. In the present work we studied the function of eya in the panoistic ovary of the cockroach Blattella germanica. We show that eya is essential for correct development of panoistic ovaries. In B. germanica, eya acts at different level and in a distinct way in the germarium and the vitellarium. In the germarium, eya contributes to maintain the correct number of somatic and germinal cells by regulating the expression of steroidogenic genes in the ovary. In the vitellarium, eya facilitates follicle cells proliferation and contributes to regulate the cell program, in the context of basal ovarian follicle maturation. Thus, eya-depleted females of B. germanica arrest the growth and maturation of basal ovarian follicles and become sterile.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ramos
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC- Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - F Chelemen
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC- Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - V Pagone
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC- Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - N Elshaer
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC- Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37, 08003, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Egypt
| | - P Irles
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC- Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37, 08003, Barcelona, Spain; Instituto de Ciencias Agronomicas y Veterinarias, Universidad de O'Higgins, Chile
| | - M D Piulachs
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC- Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
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Dillon MBC, Schulten V, Oseroff C, Paul S, Dullanty LM, Frazier A, Belles X, Piulachs MD, Visness C, Bacharier L, Bloomberg GR, Busse P, Sidney J, Peters B, Sette A. Different Bla-g T cell antigens dominate responses in asthma versus rhinitis subjects. Clin Exp Allergy 2015; 45:1856-67. [PMID: 26414909 PMCID: PMC4654660 DOI: 10.1111/cea.12643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Revised: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/19/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The allergenicity of several German cockroach (Bla-g) antigens at the level of IgE responses is well established. However, less is known about the specificity of CD4+ TH responses, and whether differences exist in associated magnitude or cytokine profiles as a function of disease severity. METHODS Proteomic and transcriptomic techniques were used to identify novel antigens recognized by allergen-specific T cells. To characterize different TH functionalities of allergen-specific T cells, ELISPOT assays with sets of overlapping peptides covering the sequences of known allergens and novel antigens were employed to measure release of IL-5, IFNγ, IL-10, IL-17 and IL-21. RESULTS Using these techniques, we characterized TH responses in a cohort of adult Bla-g-sensitized subjects, either with (n = 55) or without (n = 17) asthma, and nonsensitized controls (n = 20). T cell responses were detected for ten known Bla-g allergens and an additional ten novel Bla-g antigens, representing in total a 5-fold increase in the number of antigens demonstrated to be targeted by allergen-specific T cells. Responses of sensitized individuals regardless of asthma status were predominantly TH 2, but higher in patients with diagnosed asthma. In asthmatic subjects, Bla-g 5, 9 and 11 were immunodominant, while, in contrast, nonasthmatic-sensitized subjects responded mostly to Bla-g 5 and 4 and the novel antigen NBGA5. CONCLUSIONS Asthmatic and nonasthmatic cockroach-sensitized individuals exhibit similar TH 2-polarized responses. Compared with nonasthmatics, however, asthmatic individuals have responses of higher magnitude and different allergen specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- M B C Dillon
- La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - V Schulten
- La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - C Oseroff
- La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - S Paul
- La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - L M Dullanty
- La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - A Frazier
- La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - X Belles
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
| | - M D Piulachs
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
| | - C Visness
- Federal Systems Division, Rho Inc., Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - L Bacharier
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - G R Bloomberg
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - P Busse
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - J Sidney
- La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - B Peters
- La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - A Sette
- La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Carot-Sans G, Muñoz L, Piulachs MD, Guerrero A, Rosell G. Identification and characterization of a fatty acyl reductase from a Spodoptera littoralis female gland involved in pheromone biosynthesis. Insect Mol Biol 2015; 24:82-92. [PMID: 25558806 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Fatty acyl-CoA reductases (FARs), the enzymes that catalyse reduction of a fatty acyl-CoA to the corresponding alcohol in insect pheromone biosynthesis, are postulated to play an important role in determining the proportion of each component in the pheromone blend. For the first time, we have isolated and characterized from the Egyptian cotton leaf worm Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) a FAR cDNA (Slit-FAR1), which appeared to be expressed only in the pheromone gland and was undetectable in other female tissues, such as fat body, ovaries, wings, legs or thorax. The encoded protein has been successfully expressed in a recombinant system, and the recombinant enzyme is able to produce the intermediate fatty acid alcohols of the pheromone biosynthesis of S. littoralis from the corresponding acyl-CoA precursors. The kinetic variables Km and Vmax, which have been calculated for each acyl-CoA pheromone precursor, suggest that in S. littoralis pheromone biosynthesis other biosynthetic enzymes (e.g. desaturases, acetyl transferase) should also contribute to the final ratio of components of the pheromone blend. In a phylogenetic analysis, Slit-FAR1 appeared grouped in a cluster of other FARs involved in the pheromone biosynthesis of other insects, with little or non-specificity for the natural pheromone precursors.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Carot-Sans
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Modelling, IQAC (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
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5
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Revuelta L, Piulachs MD, Bellés X, Castañera P, Ortego F, Díaz-Ruíz JR, Hernández-Crespo P, Tenllado F. RNAi of ace1 and ace2 in Blattella germanica reveals their differential contribution to acetylcholinesterase activity and sensitivity to insecticides. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2009; 39:913-919. [PMID: 19900550 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2009.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2009] [Revised: 10/23/2009] [Accepted: 11/03/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Cyclorrhapha insect genomes contain a single acetylcholinesterase (AChE) gene while other insects contain at least two ace genes (ace1 and ace2). In this study we tested the hypothesis that the two ace paralogous from Blattella germanica have different contributions to AChE activity, using RNA interference (RNAi) to knockdown each one individually. Paralogous-specific depletion of Bgace transcripts was evident in ganglia of injected cockroaches, although the effects at the protein level were less pronounced. Using spectrophotometric and zymogram measurements, we obtained evidence that BgAChE1 represents 65-75% of the total AChE activity in nerve tissue demonstrating that ace1 encodes a predominant AChE. A significant increase in sensitivity of Bgace1-interfered cockroaches was observed after 48 h of exposure to chlorpyrifos. In contrast, Bgace2 knockdown had a negligible effect on mortality to this organophosphate. These results point out a key role, qualitative and/or quantitative, of AChE1 as target of organophosphate insecticides in this species. Silencing the expression of Bgace1 but not Bgace2 also produced an increased mortality in insects when synergized with lambda-cyhalothrin, a situation which resembles the synergistic effects observed between organophosphates and pyrethroids. Gene silencing of ace genes by RNAi offers an exciting approach for examining a possible functional differentiation in ace paralogous.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Revuelta
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, Departamento de Biología Medioambiental, Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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Cruz J, Martín D, Pascual N, Maestro JL, Piulachs MD, Bellés X. Quantity does matter. Juvenile hormone and the onset of vitellogenesis in the German cockroach. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2003; 33:1219-1225. [PMID: 14599494 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2003.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
We aimed to elucidate why cockroaches do not produce vitellogenin in immature stages, by studying the appearance of vitellogenin mRNA in larvae of Blattella germanica. Treatment of female larvae in any of the last three instars with 1 microg of juvenile hormone (JH) III induces vitellogenin gene transcription, which indicates that the fat body is competent to transcribe vitellogenin at least from the antepenultimate instar larvae. In untreated females, vitellogenin production starts on day 1 after the imaginal molt, when corpora allata begin to synthesize JH III at rates doubling the maximal of larval stages. This coincidence suggests that the female reaches the threshold of JH production necessary to induce vitellogenin synthesis on day 1 of adult life. These data lead to postulate that larvae do not synthesize vitellogenin simply because they do not produce enough JH, not because their fat body is incompetent.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Cruz
- Department of Physiology and Molecular Biodiversity, Institut de Biologia Molecular de Barcelona (CSIC), Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
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Piulachs MD, Guidugli KR, Barchuk AR, Cruz J, Simões ZLP, Bellés X. The vitellogenin of the honey bee, Apis mellifera: structural analysis of the cDNA and expression studies. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2003; 33:459-465. [PMID: 12650694 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(03)00021-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The cDNA of Apis mellifera vitellogenin was cloned and sequenced. It is 5440 bp long and contains an ORF of 1770 amino acids (including a putative signal peptide of 16 residues). The deduced amino acid sequence shows significant similarity with other hymenopteran vitellogenins (58% with Pimpla nipponica and 54% with Athalia rosae). The alignment with 19 insect vitellogenins shows a high number of conserved motifs; for example, close to the C-terminus there is a GL/ICG motif followed by nine cysteines, as occurs in all hymenopteran species, and, as in other insect vitellogenins, a DGXR motif is located 18 residues upstream the GL/ICG motif. Phylogenetic analysis of vitellogenin sequences available in insects gave a tree that is congruent with the currently accepted insect phylogenetic schemes. Using two fragments of the vitellogenin cDNA as probes, we analyzed by Northern blot the sex- and caste-specific patterns of vitellogenin expression in pupae and adults of A. mellifera. In queens, vitellogenin mRNA was first detected in mid-late pupal stage, whereas in workers it was first detected in late pupal stage. Vitellogenin mRNA was also observed in drones, although it was first detected not in pupae but in freshly molted adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- M D Piulachs
- Department of Physiology and Molecular Biodiversity, Institut de Biologia Molecular de Barcelona (CSIC), Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
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Maestro JL, Aguilar R, Pascual N, Valero ML, Piulachs MD, Andreu D, Navarro I, Bellés X. Screening of antifeedant activity in brain extracts led to the identification of sulfakinin as a satiety promoter in the German cockroach. Are arthropod sulfakinins homologous to vertebrate gastrins-cholecystokinins? Eur J Biochem 2001; 268:5824-30. [PMID: 11722569 DOI: 10.1046/j.0014-2956.2001.02527.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The feeding cycle of the adult female cockroach Blattella germanica parallels vitellogenesis. The study of the mechanisms that regulate this cycle led us to look for food-intake inhibitors in brain extracts. The antifeedant activity of brain extracts was tested in vivo by injecting the extract and measuring the carotenoids contained in the gut from carrot ingested after the treatment. By HPLC fractionation and tracking the biological activity with the carrot test, we isolated the sulfakinin EQFDDY(SO3H) GHMRFamide (Pea-SK). A synthetic version of the peptide inhibited food intake when injected at doses of 1 microg (50% inhibition) and 10 microg (60% inhibition). The sulfate group was required for food-intake inhibition. These biological and structural features are similar to those of the gastrin-cholecystokinin (gastrin-CCK) family of vertebrate peptides. However, heterologous feeding assays (human CCK-8 tested on B. germanica, and Pea-SK tested on the goldfish Carassius auratus) were negative. In spite of this, alignment and cluster analysis of these and other structurally similar peptide families suggest that sulfakinins and gastrin-CCKs are homologous, and that mechanisms of feeding regulation involving these regulatory peptides may have been conserved during evolution between insects and vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Maestro
- Department of Physiology and Molecular Biodiversity, Institut de Biologia Molecular de Barcelona, Spain
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9
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Abstract
In the cockroach Blattella germanica, the synthesis of vitellogenin is juvenile hormone III (JH III)-dependent. We have studied the effect of JH III upon vitellogenin gene expression in periovaric fat bodies incubated in vitro. Periovaric fat bodies were obtained from cardioallatectomized females. The response to JH III was measured in terms of vitellogenin and vitellogenin mRNA after 7 h of incubation. A hormonal concentration as low as 1 nM was enough to induce vitellogenin production and its release to the medium, whereas the concentration of 10 nM produced the maximal effects. Although the response of the vitellogenin gene to JH III is fast and efficient, it seems that the action is mediated by protein factors, given that cycloheximide treatment impairs the hormonal effect. The presence in the medium of brain extract (0.5 equivalents), corpora cardiaca (one pair) or hypertrehalosemic hormone (10(-7) or 10(-8) M), partially inhibited the response to JH III.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Comas
- Department of Physiology and Molecular Biodiversity, Institut de Biologia Molecular de Barcelona (CID, CSIC), J. Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
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10
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Martín D, Piulachs MD, Raikhel AS. A novel GATA factor transcriptionally represses yolk protein precursor genes in the mosquito Aedes aegypti via interaction with the CtBP corepressor. Mol Cell Biol 2001; 21:164-74. [PMID: 11113191 PMCID: PMC88790 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.21.1.164-174.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In anautogenous mosquitoes, vitellogenesis, the key event in egg maturation, requires a blood meal. Consequently, mosquitoes are vectors of many devastating human diseases. An important adaptation for anautogenicity is the previtellogenic arrest (the state of arrest) preventing the activation of the yolk protein precursor (YPP) genes Vg and VCP prior to blood feeding. A novel GATA factor (AaGATAr) that recognizes GATA binding motifs (WGATAR) in the upstream region of the YPP genes serves as a transcriptional repressor at the state of arrest. Importantly, AaGATAr can override the 20-hydroxyecdysone transactivation of YPP genes, and its transcriptional repression involves the recruitment of CtBP, one of the universal corepressors. AaGATAr transcript is present only in the adult female fat body. Furthermore, in nuclear extracts of previtellogenic fat bodies with transcriptionally repressed YPP genes, there is a GATA binding protein forming a band with mobility similar to that of AaGATAr. The specific repression of YPP genes by AaGATAr in the fat body of the female mosquito during the state of arrest represents an important molecular adaptation for anautogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Martín
- Department of Entomology and Program in Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
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Comas D, Piulachs MD, Bellés X. Vitellogenin of Blattella germanica (L.) (Dictyoptera, blattellidae): nucleotide sequence of the cDNA and analysis of the protein primary structure. Arch Insect Biochem Physiol 2000; 45:1-11. [PMID: 11015119 DOI: 10.1002/1520-6327(200009)45:1<1::aid-arch1>3.0.co;2-o] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The cloning and sequencing of a cDNA of the vitellogenin gene from the cockroach Blattella germanica is reported. It is 5,749 nucleotides long and encodes an amino acid sequence of 1,862 residues (including a putative signal peptide of 17 residues). The vitellogenin sequence includes a long serine-rich stretch between amino acids 322 and 349, and two other stretches between amino acids 1691 and 1740. The vitellogenin of B. germanica shows a notable similarity (between 32 and 42%) to those described in other insects, and its alignment shows a high number of motifs conserved in all species, especially in the subdomains I-V. Non-parsimony methods (Neighbor Joining) of phylogenetic analysis of the insect vitellogenin sequences gave a tree showing a topology that is, in general, congruent with the currently accepted insect phylogenetic schemes. Arch.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Comas
- Department of Physiology and Molecular Biodiversity, Institut de Biologia Molecular de Barcelona (CID, CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
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12
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Comas D, Piulachs MD, Bellés X. Fast induction of vitellogenin gene expression by juvenile hormone III in the cockroach Blattella germanica (L.) (Dictyoptera, Blattellidae). Insect Biochem Mol Biol 1999; 29:821-827. [PMID: 10510500 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(99)00058-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The present paper describes the effect of juvenile hormone III (JH III) upon vitellogenin (Vg) gene expression in cardioallatectomized females of Blattella germanica. Northern blot analyses of time course studies showed that Vg mRNA can be detected 2 h after the treatment with 1 microgram of JH III. Western blot analyses revealed that Vg protein is detectable 4 h after the same treatment. The study of the influence of the age showed that 48-h-old females seem more sensitive than 24-h-old females, whereas differences were less apparent between 48- and 72-h-old females. Dose-response studies indicated that 0.01 microgram of JH III is ineffective, whereas the doses of 0.1, 1 and 10 micrograms induced the synthesis of Vg in a dose-dependent fashion. Finally, the administration of three successive doses, of 0.01 microgram of JH III each, did not result in detectable Vg production, whereas two doses of 0.01 microgram followed by one of 1 microgram of JH III induced a greater response than that resulting from a sole dose of 1 microgram of JH III, which suggests that sub-effective doses of JH III elicit a priming effect on Vg production.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Comas
- Department of Physiology and Molecular Biodiversity, Institut de Biologia Molecular de Barcelona (CID, CSIC), Spain
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Maestro JL, Bellés X, Piulachs MD, Thorpe A, Duve H. Localization of allatostatin-immunoreactive material in the central nervous system, stomatogastric nervous system, and gut of the cockroach Blattella germanica. Arch Insect Biochem Physiol 1998; 37:269-282. [PMID: 9543710 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1520-6327(1998)37:4<269::aid-arch2>3.0.co;2-m] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Immunoreactivity against peptides of the allatostatin family having a typical YXFGL-NH2 C-terminus has been localized in different areas of the central nervous system, stomatogastric nervous system and gut of the cockroach Blattella germanica. In the protocerebrum, the most characteristic immunoreactive perikarya are situated in the lateral and median neurosecretory cell groups. Immunoreactive median neurosecretory cells send their axons around the circumesophageal connectives to form arborizations in the anterior neuropil of the tritocerebrum. A group of cells in the lateral aspect of the tritocerebrum project to the antennal lobes in the deutocerebrum, where immunoreactive arborizations can be seen in the periphery of individual glomeruli. Nerve terminals were shown in the corpora allata. These terminals come from perikarya situated in the lateral neurosecretory cells in the pars lateralis and in the subesophageal ganglion. Immunoreactive axons from median neurosecretory cells and from cells positioned in the anteriormost part of the tritocerebrum enter together in the stomatogastric nervous system and innervate foregut and midgut, especially the crop and the valve between the crop and the midgut. The hindgut is innervated by neurons whose perikarya are located in the last abdominal ganglion. Besides immunoreactivity in neurons, allatostatin-immunoreactive material is present in endocrine cells distributed within the whole midgut epithelium. Possible functions for these peptides according to their localization are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Maestro
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, UK.
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Martín D, Piulachs MD, Comas D, Bellés X. Isolation and sequence of a partial vitellogenin cDNA from the cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.) (Dictyoptera, Blattellidae), and characterization of the vitellogenin gene expression. Arch Insect Biochem Physiol 1998; 38:137-146. [PMID: 9658559 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1520-6327(1998)38:3<137::aid-arch4>3.0.co;2-p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
A partial cDNA clone of the vitellogenin gene from the cockroach Blattella germanica has been isolated from a cDNA expression library using an anti-vitellin-vitellogenin antiserum probe. The analysis of cDNA inserts gave a sequence of 2,645 nucleotides corresponding to the 3' region. The deduced amino acid sequence is 825 residues long and is similar to the homologous portion of the vitellogenin of other insect species, especially that of the mosquito Aedes aegypti. RNA hybridization studies indicated that the vitellogenin gene expression is limited to the fat body of adult females. The pattern of expression during the first vitellogenic cycle was approximately parallel to that of vitellogenin production by the fat body previously described. The availability of a cDNA probe for the B. germanica vitellogenin gene represents a useful tool to study the molecular action of hormones affecting vitellogenin synthesis in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Martín
- Insect Physiology Unit, Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
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Piulachs MD, Vilaplana L, Bartolomé JM, Carreño C, Martín D, González-Muñiz R, Herranz R, García-López MT, Andreu D, Bellés X. Ketomethylene and methyleneamino pseudopeptide analogues of insect allatostatins inhibit juvenile hormone and vitellogenin production in the cockroach Blattella germanica. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 1997; 27:851-858. [PMID: 9474781 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(97)00067-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Metabolic studies on insect allatostatins have suggested that the dipeptide Leu-Tyr may be a target for endopeptidases. In order to increase resistance to degradation, methyleneamino psi [CH2NH] and ketomethylene psi [COCH2] peptide bond surrogates have been introduced at the position Leu3-Tyr4 of the allatostatin Asp-Arg-Leu-Tyr-Ser-Phe-Gly-Leu-amide (BLAST-2), and Leu3-Phe4 of [Phe4]BLAST-2, respectively. Assays of inhibition of juvenile hormone (JH) synthesis in vitro by corpora allata from the cockroach Blattella germanica showed that both analogues were similarly active to the respective model peptides. The methyleneamino analogue was further tested in vivo as an inhibitor of JH synthesis, and in vivo and in vitro as an inhibitor of vitellogenin production by the fat body of B. germanica. The analogue was less active than BLAST-2 when tested in vitro, but more active than it when tested in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- M D Piulachs
- Department of Agrobiology (CID, CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
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Casals N, Buesa C, Piulachs MD, Cabañó J, Marrero PF, Bellés X, Hegardt FG. Coordinated expression and activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A synthase and reductase in the fat body of Blattella germanica (L.) during vitellogenesis. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 1996; 26:837-843. [PMID: 9014330 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(96)00044-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Levels of mRNA for the two 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) synthases, (HMG-S1 and HMG-S2), and for HMG-CoA reductase (HMG-R) of Blattella germanica were analyzed in the fat body during the first gonadotrophic cycle. HMG-S2 and HMG-R showed the highest mRNA levels on day 0 and decreased thereafter, whereas HMG-S1, showed faint expression. Western blot using specific antibodies for HMG-S1 and HMG-S2 showed no detectable levels for HMG-S1 but a clear pattern for HMG-S2. Both results point to a very limited role for HMG-CoA synthase-1 in B. germanica fat body that the functional enzyme in this organ is HMG-CoA synthase-2. HMG-CoA reductase and synthase proteins shared a cyclic pattern (maximum levels at day 4 and minimum levels on days 0 and 8), which was coincident with the pattern of activity. The delay between gene transcription and protein synthesis suggests a finely regulated translation mechanism. Moreover, the pattern of mevalonate synthesis parallels that of vitellogenin production, suggesting a coordinate mechanism between the mevalonate pathway and the production of vitellogenin.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Casals
- Unit of Biochemistry, University of Barcelona, School of Pharmacy, Spain
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Abstract
Allatostatins with a typical YXFGL-amide C-terminus constitute a neuropeptide family, which was discovered because of its inhibitory action on insect juvenile hormone synthesis. In the search for possible new functions for allatostatins we focused our attention on the fat body. Our previous studies on the cockroach Blattella germanica suggested the occurrence of factors terminating vitellogenesis, and the hypothesis here was that allatostatins might be one of these factors. Our experiments have shown that allatostatin impaired vitellogenin release in fat bodies incubated in vitro, and that this effect appears to be mediated by the inhibition of vitellogenin glycosylation. Fluvastatin also inhibited vitellogenin release, and mevalonolactone counteracted the inhibitory effects of allatostatin. These results suggest that allatostatin acts upon the mevalonate pathway and synthesis of dolichol, which would explain the inhibition of vitellogenin glycosylation. We finally conclude that allatostatins may effectively contribute to the termination of the vitellogenic cycle in B. germanica.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Martín
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
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Bellés X, Maestro JL, Piulachs MD, Johnsen AH, Duve H, Thorpe A. Allatostatic neuropeptides from the cockroach Blattella germanica (L.) (Dictyoptera, Blattellidae). Identification, immunolocalization and activity. Regul Pept 1994; 53:237-47. [PMID: 7846299 DOI: 10.1016/0167-0115(94)90172-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Four allatostatic neuropeptides were isolated from extracts of the brain of the cockroach Blattella germanica. The primary structures of these peptides were assigned as Leu-Tyr-Asp-Phe-Gly-Leu-NH2 (BLAST-1), Asp-Arg-Leu-Tyr-Ser-Phe-Gly-Leu-NH2 (BLAST-2), Ala-Gly-Ser-Asp-Gly-Arg-Leu-Tyr-Ser-Phe-Gly-Leu-NH2 (BLAST-3) and Ala-Pro-Ser-Ser-Ala-Gln-Arg-Leu-Tyr-Gly-Phe-Gly-Leu-NH2 (BLAST-4). Each of the peptides showed C-terminal amino acid sequence similarity to cockroach allatostatins and blowfly callatostatins. The four peptides inhibited in vitro juvenile hormone production by corpora allata from virgin females of B. germanica. Immunoreactivity against allatostatins was seen in the lateral neurosecretory neurons and in the axonal pathway leading to the corpora allata.
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Affiliation(s)
- X Bellés
- Department of Agrobiology, Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
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Buesa C, Martínez-Gonzalez J, Casals N, Haro D, Piulachs MD, Bellés X, Hegardt FG. Blattella germanica has two HMG-CoA synthase genes. Both are regulated in the ovary during the gonadotrophic cycle. J Biol Chem 1994; 269:11707-13. [PMID: 7909314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The isoprenoid pathway leads to various essential non-sterol products in insects. These end products have a crucial role in growth, differentiation, sexual maturation, and reproduction. 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl co-enzyme A (HMG-CoA) synthase (EC 4.1.3.5.) has generally been considered one of the committed steps of the pathway. We had previously reported the cloning of a cytosolic HMG-CoA synthase cDNA in Blattella germanica; we have now isolated and characterized a new cDNA clone for HMG-CoA synthase in this insect. Analysis of this 1716-base pair cDNA reveals a deduced protein of 455 residues with a molecular mass of 51,424 Da. The two HMG-CoA synthases have 69% identical amino acid residues, and both lack an N-terminal leader peptide to target the protein into mitochondria. This HMG-CoA synthase cDNA can revert the Chinese hamster ovary-K1-derived cell line, Mev-1, which is a defective mutant for HMG-CoA synthase. Both HMG-CoA synthase genes are expressed differently throughout development. Analysis of adult tissues shows higher expression in ovary and fat body. The expression of HMG-CoA synthase (EC 4.1.3.5.) and reductase (EC 1.1.1.34) genes during the gonadotrophic cycle in B. germanica shows that the three genes of the isoprenoid pathway are developmentally regulated in the ovary.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Buesa
- Unit of Biochemistry, University of Barcelona, School of Pharmacy, Spain
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Martínez-González J, Buesa C, Piulachs MD, Bellés X, Hegardt FG. 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A synthase from Blattella germanica. Cloning, expression, developmental pattern and tissue expression. Eur J Biochem 1993; 217:691-9. [PMID: 7901012 DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1993.tb18295.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Insects do not synthesize cholesterol; the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A (HMG-CoA) produced by HMG-CoA synthase is transformed to mevalonate by HMG-CoA reductase for the production of non-sterol isoprenoids, which are essential for growth and differentiation. To understand the regulation and developmental role of HMG-CoA synthase, we have cloned a 1658 bp cDNA that encompasses the entire transcription unit of the HMG-CoA synthase gene from the cockroach Blattella germanica. This cDNA clone was isolated using as a probe a partial cDNA of B. germanica HMG-CoA synthase, amplified using the polymerase chain reaction. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence reveals that the cDNA encodes a polypeptide of 453 amino acids (M(r) 50338) that is similar to vertebrate HMG-CoA synthase (74-76% conserved residues). The B. germanica cDNA has been expressed as a fusion protein in Escherichia coli and exhibits HMG-CoA synthase activity. The HMG-CoA synthase transcript was differentially expressed throughout B. germanica development. Analysis of RNA samples from different adult female tissues shows high HMG-CoA synthase mRNA levels in the ovary and lower levels in brain and muscle.
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Martinez-Gonzalez J, Buesa C, Piulachs MD, Belles X, Hegardt FG. Molecular cloning, developmental pattern and tissue expression of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase of the cockroach Blattella germanica. Eur J Biochem 1993; 213:233-41. [PMID: 8477698 DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1993.tb17753.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
In insects, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA) synthesizes mevalonate for the production of nonsterol isoprenoids, which are essential for growth and differentiation. To understand the regulation and developmental role of HMG-CoA reductase, we have cloned a full-length HMG-CoA reductase cDNA from the cockroach Blattella germanica. This cDNA clone was isolated using as a probe a partial cDNA of B. germanica HMG-CoA reductase, amplified using the polymerase chain reaction. The composite 3433-bp cDNA sequence contains an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 856 amino acids (Mr, 93165). The C-terminal region is more similar to hamster HMG-CoA reductase than is the Drosophila melanogaster enzyme (79% and 69% conserved residues, respectively), and the potential transmembrane domains at the N-terminal region are structurally conservative with both enzymes. The C-terminal region of the B. germanica protein has been expressed as a fusion protein in Escherichia coli and exhibits HMG-CoA reductase activity. Analysis of B. germanica HMG-CoA reductase mRNA levels, reveals a 3.6-kb transcript, that is overexpressed in 4-day-old embryos. Northern-blot analysis of RNA samples from different adult female tissues shows high HMG-CoA reductase mRNA levels in the ovary and lower levels in brain and muscle.
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Maestro JL, Piulachs MD, Bellés X. Autoinhibition of juvenile hormone production. The case of the cockroachBlattella germanica (L.). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1993. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01923411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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García-Alonso M, Piulachs MD, Bellés X. [Effect of the corpora allata on the development of the male accessory sex glands in Blatta orientalis]. Rev Esp Fisiol 1992; 48:77-82. [PMID: 1439083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The volumetric changes of the corpora allata (CA) during the first 15 days of imaginal life of Blatta orientalis L. (Dictyoptera, Blattidae) are studied in connection with the growth of the accessory reproductive glands (GSAM). Both, the CA and the GSAM, grow in parallel during the first 3-4 days of imaginal life, which suggests a possible functional link between both organs. If the CA are explained on freshly ecdysed adults, then GSAM protein accumulation is reduced (by 35%) when checked on day 5, and administration of juvenile hormone (JH) restores normal development. However, when the effects of allatectomy are studied on day 12, no significant differences with respect to the controls are observed. These results suggest that JH is not strictly necessary for protein synthesis in the GSAM of B. orientalis although it has a stimulatory effect on this synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- M García-Alonso
- Unidad de Fisiología de Insectos (Agrobiología), Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo (C.S.I.C.), Barcelona, España
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Piulachs MD, Bellés X. Stimulatory activity of cysteamine on juvenile hormone release in adult females of the cockroach, Blattella germanica. Comp Biochem Physiol A Comp Physiol 1989; 94:795-8. [PMID: 2575964 DOI: 10.1016/0300-9629(89)90636-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
1. A study of the activity of cysteamine in relation to juvenile hormone (JH) production in adult females of Blattella germanica was carried out. 2. In vivo assays showed that cysteamine stimulates protein synthesis in the left colleterial gland and, in some instances, enhances oocyte growth. 3. In vitro assays demonstrated that cysteamine enhances JH release by incubated corpora allata (CA), and that this effect is more pronounced when using CA from 10-day-old females (period of ootheca transport), either connected to the corpora cardiaca (CC) or to the CC and to the brain. 4. Possible antiallatostatic effects of cysteamine are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- M D Piulachs
- Department of Biological Organic Chemistry, Jordi Girona, Barcelona, Spain
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Bellés X, Piulachs MD. [Development of the corpora allata, oocytes and collateral glands during the 1st gonotrophic cycle of Blattella germanica (L.)]. Rev Esp Fisiol 1983; 39:149-54. [PMID: 6622805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
In the present paper volumetric changes of corpora allata (CA) during the first gonotrophic cycle of Blattella germanica (L.) are studied in connection with the growth of oocytes and the collateral glands. Volumetric changes of CA are rather irregular and not well correlated with the uniform development of oocytes or collateral glands. The asymmetry of the paired CA is also discussed.
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