Postvitellogenic metabolism of the mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus) ovary
1992
Handel, E.V.
Adult Culex quinquefasciatus retain mature eggs until a suitable oviposition site is available. Females were fed blood, and then maintained either on sugar (control) or on water (starving). Seven days later, egg rafts of starving females contained 60% of the glycogen that was found in the controls. If starving females are fed on sugar for one day glycogen is restored to control levels. Feeding on sugar for 7 days, followed by 7 days on water also diminished the glycogen of egg rafts by 40%. When females were fed on blood, then starved for 5 days or more, the incorporation of [14C]glucose into the glycogen of ovaries incubated in vitro was 10-15 times higher than that of sugar-fed controls. Synthesis in vitro was similar to that in vivo. For the first two days after the blood meal, during yolk formation, the ovary did not synthesize glycogen or lipids. The incorporation of [14C]glucose into lipids was less than into glycogen, and was also stimulated by starvation. These results indicate, that the postvitellogenic mosquito oocyte remains permeable to certain haemolymph constituents and contains glycogen and lipid-synthesizing enzymes that are activated by sugar-deprivation, after chorionation and degeneration of follicular epithelium.
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