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Salivary Amylase Activity of the Phlebotomine Sand Fly, Lutzomyia Longipalpis

Salivary Amylase Activity of the Phlebotomine Sand Fly, Lutzomyia Longipalpis

J M Ribeiro, E D Rowton, R Charlab

Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2000 Apr;30(4):271-7.

PMID: 10727893

Abstract:

Both male and female adult stages of the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis have detectable amylase activity in their salivary glands, as indicated by formation of p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-maltoside from p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-octoside and by hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-maltoheptaoside-4,6,-O-ethylidene. No salivary alpha-glucosidase was detected. Amylase activity was also found in the crop and midgut of female flies, although in a smaller amount. Salivary amylase is significantly reduced from the salivary glands immediately after a blood meal, as is the case with salivary alpha-glucosidases in mosquitoes. Presence of salivary gland amylase in these sand flies, and absence of salivary alpha-glucosidase, indicates that in nature these insects may have a significant intake of carbohydrates in the form of starch, as suggested by their plant-feeding behavior, previously demonstrated by Schlein and Warburg (Schlein, Y., Warburg, A., 1986. Phytophagy and the feeding cycle of Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) under experimental conditions. Journal of Medical Entomology 23, 11-15), and Alexander and Usma (Alexander, B., Usma, M.C., 1994. Potential sources of sugar for the phlebotomine sandfly Lutzomyia youngi (Diptera: Psychodidae) in a Columbia coffee plantation. Ann. Trop. Med. Parasitol. 88, 543-549).

Chemicals Related in the Paper:

Catalog Number	Product Name	Structure	CAS Number	Price
AP17400770	4-Nitrophenyl α-D-maltoside		17400-77-0	Price

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