The Release of Isoprenoids by Locust Corpora Allata in vitro

Corpora allata of the African locust Locusta migratoria, incubated in vitro, biosynthesized together with juvenile hormone III (JH-III), several molecules labelled by both [2-(14)C] sodium acetate and L-[methyl-(3)H] methionine. By a combination of chromatographic procedures including reverse phase-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), normal phase HPLC and thin layer chromatography (TLC), four labelled compounds were separated. They were isoprenoids, as revealed by inhibition of their synthesis by the hydroxy-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor fluvastatin and restoration by exogenous mevalonolactone. They could be produced by incubating corpora allata with JH-III, suggesting that they were JH-III metabolites. They were produced by the corpora allata from both males and females and released into the incubation medium. Their rate of synthesis changed considerably depending on the sample, and in some cases they were the major isoprenoic products of the corpora allata.