Vitellogenesis in vectors of Chagas’ Disease (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

AGUIRRE, S.A.; GARCIA, L.; FREDE, S.; GARAY, M.E.; CANAVOSO, L.E.; RUBIOLO, E.R.

Villa Giardino, Córdoba

Congreso; XV Biennial Scientific Meeting in the 70th Anniversary; 2005

Sociedad de Biología de Córdoba

Hematophagous insects like vectors of Chagas’ disease must surpass a threshold level in terms of the amount and quality of the blood meal in order successfully to produce eggs. During this process, the fat body synthesizes the egg protein, vitellogenin (Vg), which in turn will be taken up by the ovary and stored as vitellin (Vt). Vg and Vt have been isolated from several species and their levels are indicative of the efficiency of the oogenesis process. However, information about their dynamics and regulation in Chagas’ disease vectors is still scarce. In this work, therefore, we have analized in anautogenous and autogenous females of Dipetalogaster maxima: a) the kinetic of Vg synthesis in fat body and its levels in hemolymph; b) the stores of Vt in ovary. In anautogenous insects the studies were performed between 2-7 days post ecdisis and between 1-7 days post blood food feeding. Autogenous females were studied between 3-15 days post-ecdysis. During the period post-ecdysis anautogenous insects showed a decreased synthesis of Vg and concomitantly, low levels of Vg in hemolymph (