Dietary choline requirements, phospholipids and development in Phormia regina

Abstract

1. 1. Twenty-six compounds were tested for their ability to support growth and development when fed, in lieu of choline, to Phormia regina. Sixteen supported larval growth and previous findings on structure-function relationships in choline substitutes were confirmed (Hodgson & Dauterman, 1964). 2. 2. Only ten compounds permitted appreciable formation of puparia and only four of these permitted the emergence of normal adults. Thus, the structural requirements for post-larval development are much more rigorous than those for larval growth. No compound was as effective as choline. 3. 3. All compounds which support larval growth are incorporated into phospholipids analogous to phosphatidylcholine, indicating that the cytidine pathway for phospholipid synthesis is relatively non-specific. 4. 4. i-Propylaminoethanol is a growth inhibitor when fed to Phormia regina larvae.