SEROLOGY OF INSECT PROTEINS: I. PRELIMINARY STUDIES ON THE PROTEINS OF INSECT CUTICLE

Abstract

Precipitin tests on extracts of larval cuticle of the housefly (Musca domestica L.) showed the presence of several antigenic protein components, and variations in the protein composition of cuticle during larval development were also demonstrated. One antigenic component from third-instar larval cuticle possessed phenol–oxidase activity. When this component was injected into rabbits, the resulting antibodies had an inhibitory effect on the enzyme activity. A considerable degree of serological specificity was exhibited in precipitin tests by the cuticular proteins of seven species representing four orders of insects.