The presence of an arylphorin-type storage protein at different life stages of ostrinia nubilalis - Lepidoptera: Pyralidae

Abstract

Specific hemolymph proteins, termed storage proteins, are considered to play an important role in amino acid reserves in insects. Arylphorin-type storage proteins exist widely in insects and they appear as major proteins in the larval hemolymph. These proteins are rich in aryl groups and are thought to act as source of aromatic amino acids for protein synthesis during organ differentiation and adult development. In this study, we isolated an arylphorin-type storage protein from the larval hemolymph of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis H ü b n e r (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), and named it ostrinin. Using polyclonal antibodies against ostrinin, raised in a mouse and a rabbit, we analyzed the presence of this protein through different stages of the life cycle of O. nubilalis. Our results revealed that ostrinin was present in all life stages of the European corn borer (diapausing and nondiapausing larvae, pupae and adults), except in the eggs.

Keywords

• arylphorin
• metamorphosis
• Ostrinia nubilalis
• ostrinin
• storage protein