DEVELOPMENTALLY-REGULATED BIOSYNTHESIS OF 2 MALE-SPECIFIC SERUM POLYPEPTIDES IN THE FAT-BODY OF THE MEDFLY CERATITIS-CAPITATA

In adult Ceratitis capitata males, the fat body synthesizes and secret es into the haemolymph two major male specific serum polypeptides (MSS P-alpha and beta), Furthermore, the male fat body contains two abundan t mRNAs which yield, in a cell-free system, two pre-MSSPs which underg o post-translational modifications to give rise to the mature MSSPs, I n vivo and in vitro studies during development suggested that the onse t of MSSPs' synthesis is regulated at the level of transcription while at latter stages of development the synthesis of the MSSPs is regulat ed at the translational level, The synthesis of the two MSSPs is not c o-ordinated during development. This non-coordinated synthesis does no t seem to be due to differential transcription levels of the respectiv e genes but rather to different translational rates.