Summary
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1.
Chitin synthesis inLocusta migratoria has been examined by following the incorporation of labelled N-acetylglucosamine into chitin at different stages of the larvaladult moulting cycle from 4 days before to 8 days after ecdysis. With glucose high incorporation rates were measured only during the first 2 days after ecdysis. Acetylglucosamine was incorporated intensively before this period (5 to 7 times higher than glucose). After ecdysis the rate of aminosugar incorporation increases rapidly up to the level of maximum incorporation of glucose and remains at this level for one week.
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2.
During the days prior to imaginal ecdysis the precursors for chitin synthesis originate almost exclusively from the decomposition of the chitin of the larval cuticle.
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3.
A few minutes after injection of labelled glucose, acetylglucosamine, or UDP-acetylglucosamine into 24 hour adult locusts, radioactivity is detectable in all chitin precursors. These compounds are found mainly in the integument and in the hemolymph, and to a lesser extent also in the fat body.
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4.
Preparations of the abdominal integument incorporate chitin precursorsin vitro; under these conditions glucose is the preferred precursor.
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Surholt, B. Studiesin vivo andin vitro on chitin synthesis during the larval-adult moulting cycle of the migratory locust,Locusta migratoria L.. J Comp Physiol B 102, 135–147 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00691299
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00691299