Sialic acids in developing testis of Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera)

The wide availability of sialic acids (SAs) in many organisms emphasizes th eir role for biological processes. The detection of SAs in insects is impor tant for reinforcing the universal nature of SAs. In this study, the amount s and the types of SAs in testis of Galleria mellonella were investigated t hrough gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass (GC-MS) spectros copy. GC analysis showed that the amount of SAs significantly decreased fro m young pupae to adults. The ratio of the levels of SAs in young pupa:old p upa:adult was found to be 16:5:1. Neu5Ac, Neu5Gc, Neu4,5A(2), Neu5,9Ac(2), and Neu2en5Ac were found in young pupae by GC-MS analysis. Neu5Ac, Neu5Gc, Neu9Ac5Gc and Neu5,8,9Ac(3) were detected in old pupae. Neu5Ac and Neu5Gc w ere encountered in adults. In addition to this trend of decreasing se amoun ts, the variety of SA types present also decreased from young pupae to adul ts.