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Journal of Experimental Biology 40,301-321 (1963)
Published by Company of Biologists 1963

Influence of Neurosecretory Cells and of Corpus Allatum on Intestinal Protease Activity in the Adult Calliphora Erythrocephala MEIG

ELLEN THOMSEN ¹ and IB MLLER ¹

¹ Zoological Laboratory of the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural College, Copenhagen; Department of Physiology

1. The protease activity of the adult Calliphora female measured on the first 5 days after emergence was found to be highly influenced by the diet, the activity of females fed on sugar, water and meat (meat-flies) being much higher than that of females fed only on sugar and water (sugar-flies).

2. The development of the enzyme(s) was found to be controlled by the medial neurosecretory cells (m.n.c.), the mean protease activity of females deprived of their m.n.c. only amounting to one-quarter to one-third of the maximum values for the meat-flies.

3. Implantation of corpora cardiaca-allata (presumably containing m.n.c. hormone) into females without m.n.c. raised the protease activity of these significantly, showing that the influence of the implanted organs must be hormonal.

4. The corpus allatum was found to have a certain, if minor, effect on the protease activity.

5. It is concluded that in Calliphora the eating of meat exerts its effect on the production of protease mainly indirectly by causing liberation of m.n.c. hormone into the blood.

6. As proteases are themselves proteins, the effect of the m.n.c. hormone on the production of proteolytic enzymes by the gut cells must be regarded as an effect on the specific protein synthesis of these cells. There is some evidence that the m.n.c. hormone might be involved in the regulation of protein synthesis in general.