Gelelectrophoretic studies on labial gland secretions of immature blackflies (Simuliidae, Diptera)

Abstract

Any contact of blackfly larvae and pupae to the substrate they colonise relies on the adhesion of the secretion which is produced in their large labial glands. This secretion anchors their filter-feeding position, any locomotive activity, and the pupal cocoon as well. The secretion works as a biological adhesive which adheres to nearly any substrate surface — even to wood or the integument of other aquatic animals. We began analysing the proteinaceaous compounds of the labial gland secretions of Simulium ornatum (complex) Meigen. According to the SDS-PAGE and amino acid analyses, blackfly gland secretion consists of a variety of proteins ranging from high to low molecular weights. The most prominent proteins form broad bands at about 70, 40 and 20 kDa. These main proteins were present in secretions from young to old larvae as well as in pupal cocoon secretion, but their relative amounts change with larval development. Results of N-terminal sequencing of prominent proteins revealed no obvious homologies to protein sequences deposited in the databases up to now.