MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES RECOGNIZING LARVAL-SPECIFIC AND PUPAL-SPECIFIC CUTICULAR PROTEINS OF TENEBRIO-MOLITOR (INSECTA, COLEOPTERA)

To study the sequential expression of insect epidermal cells during me tamorphosis, a library of monoclonal antibodies (MABs) was prepared ag ainst the water-soluble proteins from preecdysial pupal cuticle of Ten ebrio molitor. Six selected MABs recognizing only larval and pupal cut icular proteins (CPs) in immunoblot analysis were classified into thre e types. Type 1 recognized a 21.5 and a 22 kDa polypeptide, type 2, a 26 kDa polypeptide, and type 3, three polypeptides of 18.5, 19.5 and 2 1.5 kDa. They did not immunoreact with any protein of fat bodies or ha emolymph from pharate pupae, suggesting that the antigens originate fr om the epidermis. The stage-specificity was confirmed by electron micr oscopic immunogold labelling. Type 1 and 3 MABs recognized antigens ch aracterizing larval and pupal preecdysial sclerotized cuticles, while the antigens recognized by type 2 were localized in the first few lame llae of unsclerotized postecdysial cuticle. When the expression of the adult programme was inhibited by application of a juvenile hormone an alogue, the larval-/pupal-specific CPs were detected in the supernumer ary pupal cuticle. These results suggest that the genes encoding these proteins are juvenile hormone dependent. These MABs should be useful tools to isolate pupal-specific genes whose regulation sems to be diff erent from that of the adult-specific ones.