Te. Taubmontemayor et Ma. Rankin, REGULATION OF VITELLOGENIN SYNTHESIS AND UPTAKE IN THE BOLL-WEEVIL, ANTHONOMUS-GRANDIS, Physiological entomology, 22(3), 1997, pp. 261-268
Hormonal factors influencing reproductive development were examined in
adult boil weevils, Anthonomus grandis (Boheman) (Coleoptera: Curculi
onidae). Long-day, high-temperature rearing conditions promote reprodu
ction whereas short-day, low-temperature conditions do not. implants o
f corpora allata (CA), brains, or brains plus retrocerebral complexes
taken from long-day donors, or hormone analogue treatments were used t
o examine onset of vitellogenin synthesis and uptake in decapitated bo
dies of adult weevils reared in short-day, low-temperature conditions.
Weevils decapitated within 2 days after eclosion and reared in short-
day, low-temperature conditions never initiated vitellogenin productio
n or ovarian development. Females and males decapitated on day 2 showe
d haemolymph vitellogenin within 5 days following treatment with Juven
ile Hormone (JH) analogue or implantation of CA, but not after implant
ation of brain alone or implantation of muscle (sham). Uptake of vitel
logenin into the oocytes did not occur unless both JH analogue and bra
in were given as replacement therapy. These experiments indicated that
JH is necessary and sufficient to stimulate vitellogenin synthesis in
this species but that a brain factor must be present for vitellogenin
uptake.