Abstract
[4- 14C]-Cholesterol was converted into ecdysone and crustecdysone in whole 7 day old larvae of the blowfly, Calliphora erythrocephala. Incubation of [ 14C]-cholesterol with brain-ring gland complexes isolated from 7 day old larvae produced substances which co-chromatographed with authentic ecdysone and crustecdysone, respectively. Untreated extracts from similar incubations with non-radioactive cholesterol had little or no moulting hormone activity in the Calliphora bioassay. This indicates that little free hormonal activity is stored in the brain-ring gland complex and also that no significant synthesis of free moulting hormone occurs in this in vitro system. After enzymic hydrolysis of glycosides and esters from these extracts considerable hormonal activity appeared. The possible significance of these observations in relation to the site, mode of biosynthesis, and also transport of ecdysones is discussed.
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