Co-Authors:
Navon, A., Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Dorchester, Boston, MA 02125, United States
Nesbitt, J., Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Dorchester, Boston, MA 02125, United States
Henzel, W., Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Dorchester, Boston, MA 02125, United States
Mulligan, K., Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Dorchester, Boston, MA 02125, United States
Mullen, J.A., Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Dorchester, Boston, MA 02125, United States
Sugumaran, M., Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Dorchester, Boston, MA 02125, United States
Lipke, H., Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Dorchester, Boston, MA 02125, United States
Abstract:
Administration of d-isoascorbic acid to Spodoptera littoralis males increased the recovery of soluble proteins from the sclerotized spermatophore. Decreased crosslinking was also implicated in the pathology by accumulation of phenols in the intact tissue at the expense of the aromatic constituents of the heavily tanned residual proteins resistant to proteolytic digestion. Structural proteins of tanned corpus (bulb) and collum (duct) resembled fibrous proteins in amino acid composition, with high levels of cysteine-cystine, and proline. The presence of collagen was also indicated by the identification of hydroxylysine in the hydrolysates. Ingestion of d-isoascorbic acid induced declines in phenylalanine, histidine, lysine, cystine ( 1 2) and hydroxylysine in accord with a failure to stabilize specific components of the spermatophore matrix. © 1983.