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The potential for ecdysone metabolism was determined for various larval tissues of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar. Homogenates of fat body, midguts, and Malpighian tubules, taken on different days during the second half of the fifth instar, were incubated with [3H]ecdysone, and the products were analyzed by reversed-phase and normal-phase HPLC. All tissues showed conversion to 20-hydroxyecdysone, and midguts also produced 3-epiecdysone. Ecdysone 20-monooxygenase (E20MO) activity in the fat body increased from a low level on day 5 to a peak on day 11, coinciding with the peak in the hemolymph ecdysteroid titer on the penultimate day of the instar. Midguts and Malpighian tubules showed E20MO activity only during the last 3 or 4 days of the instar, with the highest activity also occurring on the penultimate day. For the midguts, the appearance of the E20MO coincided with the transition from larval to pupal tissue. No activity was detected in larval midguts. 3-Epiecdysone formation, however, was mainly found in larval midguts, with only marginal activity detectable in pupal midguts.

The larval midgut of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, has high ecdysone 20-monooxygenase (EZOMO) activity, located both in the mitochondria and in the microsomes. The apparent kinetic parameters for E20MO in mitochondria and microsomes were determined. The K,s (for ecdysone) of the rnitochondrial and microsomal enzymes were 1.63 x 1 0-5 and 3.67 x 1 O-’ M, respectively. The V,,, was 82.7 prnol/min/rng protein for mitochondria and 32.0 pmol/min/mg protein for microsomes. Although the mitochondria1 E20MO has the higher V,,,, at physiological ecdysone concentrations (1 0-’ ~ 1 O-’ M) it is only one-eighth to one-tenth as active as the rnicrosornal enzyme. It is concluded that the rnicrosornal E20MO is the primary, if not the only, enzyme involved in ecdysone 20-hydroxylation in M. 5exta midgut. o 1996 Wey-Liss, Inc *

The tritium-labeled bis-norleucine analog of Helicoverpa zea pheromone biosynthesis-activating neuropeptide ([3H]NLPBAN) was incubated in vitro with hemolymph from Manduca sexta or H. zea adult females. The incubations resulted in the formation of several tritium-labeled degradation products. At a [3H]NLPBAN concentration of 0.9 microM the degradation proceeded at a very slow but physiologically plausible rate (2-10 fmol/min/microliters hemolymph). The primary [3H]NLPBAN degradation reaction in M. sexta hemolymph was not inhibited by 20 microM leupeptin, 0.1 mM amastatin, 1 mM EDTA, 1 mM EGTA, 1 mM 1,10-phenanthroline, or 2 mM 4-(2-aminoethyl)benzenesulfonyl fluoride; but secondary reactions may have been affected, as some of the inhibitors changed the radio-HPLC profile of the degradation products. It is concluded that hemolymph of M. sexta and H. zea contains peptidase(s) capable of inactivating circulating PBAN.

Using high performance liquid chromatography in conjunction with radioimmunoassay and mass spectrometry, the major ecdysteroid of the solitary cactus bee, Diadasia rinconis, was determined to be 20-hydroxyecdysone, with lesser amounts of makisterone A. Another 28-carbon ecdysteroid thought to be the 24-epimer of makisterone A was also detected. The neutral sterols of Diadasia consisted primarily of 24-methylenecholesterol (92.2%) with lesser amounts of other C28 and C29 sterols. Cholesterol accounted for less than 0.1% of the total tissue sterols. The occurrence of 20-hydroxyecdysone in a phytophagous hymenopteran is discussed in relation to the low level of cholesterol encountered. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc. 1

Five enzyme activities in midgut cytosol of Manduca sexta last instar larvae are potentially involved in the interconversion of 3β-hydroxyecdysteroids, 3-oxoecdysteroids, and 3α-hydroxyecdysteroids. A Sephadex G-25-filtered high-speed supernatant was used to determine some of the characteristics of the corresponding enzymes. The pH optima of ecdysone oxidase and NADH-dependent 3-oxoecdysteroid 3α-reductase were 7.5, the pH of the midgut cytosol was 7.9. The apparent kinetic parameters for the NADH-dependent 3α-reductase were Km (for NADH) = 80.8 ± 10.8 μM and Vmax = 0.58 ± 0.30 nmol/min/mg protein, and for the NADPH-dependent 3-oxoecdysteroid 3β-reductase, Km (for NADPH) = 19.3 ± 2.5 μM and Vmax = 4.39 ± 0.40 nmol/min/mg protein. NAD+ and NADP+ inhibited the enzymatic 3-oxoecdysteroid reductions, but the reactions were not reversible (i.e. no conversion of ecdysone or 3-epiecdysone to 3-dehydroecdysone). Sodium chloride (0.2 M) inhibited the 3α-reductase activity with NADH and strongly increased the 3α-reductase activity with NADPH.

An ecdysteroid RIA was used to determine the ecdysteroid titer in developing embryos of Dysdercus fasciatus and revealed that peak titer occurred approximately 120 h post-oviposition. Analysis of neutral sterols at this time indicated sitosterol to be the predominant neutral sterol with lesser amounts of campesterol. Embryonic sterols were highly reflective of the sterols found in the cotton seed diet upon which previous generations of the bugs had fed. Analysis of the embryonic extract for ecdysteroids indicated the presence of both makisterone A and the 29-carbon ecdysteroid makisterone C. Isolation of these compounds was accomplished by reversed-phase and silica HPLC in conjunction with RIA, and the identification of both compounds was confirmed by mass spectrometry. No ecdysone or 20-hydroxyecdysone was detected in the embryonic sample.

Catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activi- ties were determined in postmitochondrial fractions of tissue homogenates (spermathecae, muscle and ventriculi), in hemolymph plasma, and in semen of honey bees. The highest CAT activity was found in semen (4.8 mU/μg fresh weight), and the enzyme was confined to the spermatozoa. CAT and GST activities of ventriculi exceeded those of other tissues and hemolymph, CAT being highest in mated queen ventriculi (2.7 mU/μg) and GST highest in worker ventriculi (10 mU/mg). Spermathecae of mated queens had higher CAT and GST activities (0.84 mU/μg, and 2.4 mU/mg, re- spectively) than virgin spermathecae (0.15 mU/μg, and 1.6 mU/mg). SOD activities (15-59 mU/μg) varied less than activities of CAT or GST between tissues. Seminal plasma contained two thirds of the total SOD activity of semen and one third was in the spermatozoa. The substantial activities of all three enzymes in spermathecae of mated queens suggest their involvement in the long-term protec- tion of the spermatozoa from oxidative stress. Apis mellifera / catalase / glutathione S-transferase / superoxide dismutase

Larvae of Drosophila melanogaster were reared aseptically on defined diets containing either cholesterol, campesterol or sitosterol as the only dietary sterol. Sterol analyses of pupae revealed that insects reared on campesterol and sitosterol diets contained 3.3 and 8.1% cholesterol, indicative of an ability to accumulate this sterol. Ecdysone and 20-hydroxyecdysone were the predominant eedysteroids in insects from all diet studies, though makisterone A was detected in pupae reared on campesterol and sitosterol.

A number of intermediates involved in the dealkylation and conversion of the major C28 and C29 phytosterols to cholesterol in insects were first isolated and identified in studies with the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, carried out in our laboratory. We also investigated the effects of a variety of known sterol metabolism inhibitors in Manduca, particularly those affecting the delta 24-sterol reductase enzyme, and synthesized and tested a number of new inhibitors as well. In-depth studies of ecdysteroids in Manduca during embryogenesis and during pupal-adult development provided new information on molting hormone content, biosynthesis, and metabolism. In addition, this insect has been utilized in the study of three specific enzyme systems of ecdysteroid metabolism, namely 20-monooxygenase, 3-epimerase, and phosphotransferase, which are critical to activation and deactivation of molting hormones in insects.

Ecdysone and 20-hydroxyecdysone are converted to their 3-epimers by enzymes in the midgut cytosol of Manduca sexta larvae. A partially purified cytosol preparation has been used to analyze the nature of and the interaction between these enzymes. The cytosol was shown to contain ecdysone oxidase, one or more 3-oxoecdysteroid 3α-reductase(s), and one or more 3-oxoecdysteroid 3β-reductase(s). The reductases reacted at different velocities with NADH and NADPH. With NADH, 3α-reduction was the major reaction; with NADPH, 3β-reduction was the major reaction. The apparent kinetic parameters for the enzymes support the assumed two-step mechanism for the 3-epimerization with a 3-oxoecdysteroid as intermediate.

The dual localization of ecdysone 20-monooxygenase in mitochondria and microsomes of Manduca sexta larval midgut was investigated. Cosubstrate requirements and response to osmolarity of the microsomal ecdysone 20-monooxygenase system were found to be different from those previously reported for the mitochondrial enzyme system. The microsomal monooxygenase utilized NADPH and, less efficiently, NADH as cosubstrates. NADPH and NADH effects were neither additive nor synergistic. NADPH yielded identical activities in isotonic and hypotonic incubations. Mitochondria and microsomes showed no synergistic interaction for ecdysone 20-hydroxylation. After washing of the mitochondria, a large proportion of their ecdysone 20-monooxygenase activity was lost. The extent of the loss was inversely correlated to the concentration of mitochondria in the incubation mixture. The addition of bovine serum albumin to the incubations (2 mg/ml) largely restored the original activities. The microsomal contamination in mitochondrial pellets after each of three successive washings was determined by measuring the activity of a microsomal marker enzyme, NADPH-cytochrome c reductase. At each step of the purification, the ecdysone 20-monooxgenase activity of the mitochondrial preparations far exceeded the activity attributable to the microsomal contamination. These results confirm the existence of two independent ecdysone 20-monooxygenase systems in the midgut of M. sexta larvae.

The subcellular distribution of four enzymes (glucose-6-phosphatase, phosphodiesterase I, NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, and p-nitroanisole O-demethylase) in the midgut of “wandering” fifth-instar larvae of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta (L), was determined and the composition of mitochondrial and microsomal pellets was examined by electron microscopy. Most of the glucose-6-phosphatase activity and one-third of the phosphodiesterase I activity were found in the high-speed supernatant. NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity was marginal and O-demethylase activity was undetectable in the supernatant. The highest specific activities for phosphodiesterase I, NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, and p-nitroanisole O-demethylase were measured in microsomes, but the relative specific activity of phosphodiesterase I was only half that obtained with the latter two enzymes. In all subcellular preparations the relative specific activities of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and p-nitroanisole O-demethylase were closely correlated. It is concluded that glucose-6-phosphatase and phosphodiesterase I are not microsomal marker enzymes in the midgut, but the activities of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and p-nitroanisole O-demethylase are quantitative measures of microsomal content.

In incubations with 80,000g supernatant of Manduca sexta midgut homogenates, [3H]ecdysone was converted to 3-[3H]epiecdysone and tritiumlabeled highly polar metabolites. C18 SEP-PAK cartridges were found suitable for the separation and purification of the free ecdysteroids and of the highly polar metabolites. Eighty to ninety percent of the metabolites were hydrolyzed by enzyme mixtures (mainly β-glucuronidase, sulphatase, and acid phosphatase) from molluscs, even when β-glucuronidase activity was completely inhibited by D-saccharic acid 1,4-lactone, or various human acid phosphatases (free of sulphatase activity). In each experiment, the hydrolysate contained a much higher proportion of 3-epiecydsone than the free (unconjugated) ecdysteroid fraction. [3H]ecdysone was not metabolized in anaerobic incubations of midgut supernatant that had been filtered through Sephadex G-25. Addition of 5 mM ATP and 5 mM Mg2+ restored the conjugate formation in incubations of Sephadex-filtered supernatant. Four ecdysone conjugates and two 3-epiecdysone conjugates were resolved by reversedphase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography. It is concluded that the midgut cytosol contains several ATP:ecdysteriod phosphotransferases. This is the first demonstration of the formation of ecdysteroid phosphoconjugates in a cell-free system.

The major ecdysteroid conjugate present in eggs (48–64 h old) of the tobacco hornworm has been purified by XAD-2 chromatography, C18 SEP-PAK separations, and ion suppression reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the conjugate with acid phosphatase from human seminal fluid gave 26-hydroxyecdysone. The conjugate was identified as 26-hydroxyecdysone 26-phosphate by nuclear magnetic resonance and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. This compound is also the major conjugate of newly laid eggs (0–1 h old) of the tobacco hornworm. The role for ecdysteroid conjugates is discussed.

The conversion of alpha-ecdysone to 20-hydroxyecdysone in the midgut of Manduca sexta (L.) was found to be catalyzed by a mitochondrial, cytochrome P450-mediated monooxygenase. The reaction required oxygen and was inhibited by the presence of carbon monoxide. Tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates, such as succinate, malate, and isocitrate, supported the hydroxylation as did NADPH, NADH, ATP, and ADP. Temperature and pH optima were 30 degrees C and 8.5, respectively. The apparent Km and V values for the ecdysone 20-hydroxylase were 18.3 +/- 6.8 micronM and 46.6 +/- 14.2 pmol per min per mg protein. The midgut mitochondria were found to contain malate dehydrogenase and NAD(P) transhydrogenase. The presence of these enzymes suggests that the tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates and NADH support the ecdysone hydroxylation indirectly by providing NADPH for the cytochrome P450 system. The content of cytochromes a + a3, b, c + c1, and P450 in midgut mitochondria was determined.

Ecdysteroids of ovaries and newly-laid eggs (0- to 1-hour-old) of the tobacco hornworm are present mainly as conjugates (greater than 95%). Newly-laid eggs contain ecdysteroid conjugates equivalent to 21 micrograms of 26-hydroxyecdysone and 0.73 micrograms of ecdysone per gram of eggs. These levels are similar in ovaries of 93-hour-old adult females. In 1- to 18-hour-old eggs more than 63% of the ecdysteroids exist in the free form and the proportion is similar in 48- to 64-hour-old eggs. The ratio of 26-hydroxyecdysone to ecdysone in the conjugated form remains constant during oocyte maturation and embryogenesis. Though 26-hydroxyecdysone is without molting hormone activity in the house fly assay, the exceptionally high concentration of 26-hydroxyecdysone conjugate(s) in ovaries and newly-laid eggs, together with the fact that it is being released during embryogenesis, indicate some physiological role for 26-hydroxyecdysone.