Eur. J. Entomol. 92 (1): 251-257, 1995
Ecdysteroid receptor in Chironomus thummi (Dipetra: Chironomidae)
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An ecdysteroid receptor protein has been identified and characterized from whole body extracts of Chironomus thummi larvae. The kinetic and physical characteristics of this binding are consistent with the criteria established for steroid hormone receptors and are similar to those exhibited by the Drosophila ecdysteroid receptor. The binding data of cytosols obtained from different developmental stages (third and fourth stage larvae, pupae and adults) indicate only a single type of binding site which exists throughout the life cycle of the insect with an average Kd value of 5 × 10-9 mol/g of protein. Furthermore, single point determinations of the receptor concentration at these stages revealed that the receptor level fluctuates. This fluctuation in the receptor level corresponds well to the fluctuation in the ecdysteroid titer indicating that the number of receptors at any particular stage of development may be regulated by the presence of the moulting hormone.
Keywords: Chironomus thummi, ecdysteroid receptor, receptor concentration
Accepted: January 3, 1995; Published: February 24, 1995 Show citation
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