116 P. S. CHEN 
Ephestia kiihniella (Table 1). One particular peptide (P;), which is located very near 
glycine on the two-dimensional chromatogram, seems to be specific for this moth, 
because it was not found in any other insects investigated by them (see also ref. 39). 
Tryptophane was detected only in the a-mutant. Among these substances, the con- 
tents of proline and glutamine are especially high. 
In a summarized paper DUCHATEAU AND FLORKIN®®, using microbiological assays, 
obtained data on the contents of 15 amino acids in the blood of a large variety of 
insects, including 29 different species of Lepidoptera. According to these authors the 
concentration of free amino acids in the Lepidoptera is high, particularly that of 
proline, lysine, histidine, glutamic acid and arginine. Since they used hydrolyzed 
dialysates for analyses, a large part of the glutamic acid may have been derived from 
glutamine. This is in agreement with the findings of CHEN AND KUHN*! who also 
reported a high content of glutamine in Ephestia kiihniella. In the work of DUCHATEAU 
AND FLORKIN®® it was noted that diapause pupae of different species (Actias selene, 
Antheraea pernyt, Papilio machaon and Lasiocampa quercus) showed a strikingly 
constant pattern of free amino acids. In Smerinthus ocellatus the pupae at diapause 
showed a higher value of total concentration than the developing larvae, mainly due 
toa higher content of arginine, lysine and proline. The same is true for Sphinx ligustri°®. 
On the other hand, for Ewproctis chrysorrhoea, no such difference was detected between 
larvae and pupae which were in active development. 
Free amino acids in the hemolymph of the silkworm Bombyx mori have been in- 
vestigated by several authors (DRILHON AND BUSNEL*?; YOSHITAKE AND ARUGA™S; 
FUKUDA”; ISHIMORI AND MuTo!). In a more recent paper Wyatt, LOUGHHEED 
AND Wyatt! , also employing chromatography, reported the presence of 17 amino 
acids, two amides and several peptides in this insect (see Table I). But cystine (or 
cysteine) was detectedin only one sample and tryptophane was not recorded by them. 
According to FuKuDA, KIRIMURA, MATUDA AND SuzUKI” tryptophane occurs in the 
silkworm blood, but its concentration is obviously very low. The quantitative analyses 
of Wyatt et al.1® revealed a relatively high concentration of glutamine, histidine, 
lysine, serine, glycine, and a large variation in the contents of histidine, tyrosine and 
proline. However, the general picture of free amino acids is in agreement with that 
provided by microbiological assays in this insect (SARLET, DUCHATEAU AND FLORKIN!*!; 
DUCHATEAU AND FLORKIN®’; FUKUDA ef al.’*). 
In the larval blood of the wax moth Galleria mellonella the presence of 21 free 
amino acids including a-amino-u-butyric acid has been demonstrated (PRATT!?; 
AUCLAIR AND DUBREUIL®). However, tryptophane, cystine and a-amino-n-butyric acid 
were not recorded by Wyatt e¢ al.!®° who also worked on this species. These amino 
acids apparently are present in small quantities. According to AUCLAIR AND DUBREUIL® 
taurine and hydroxyproline appear only at metamorphosis. It should be mentioned 
that taurine, a-amino-n-butyric acid and f-alanine are normally not incorporated 
into proteins. 
In the larvae of Agrotis ypsilon, Heliothis virescens and Estigmene acraea, CLARK AND 
BaLL® reported the consistent presence of alanine, arginine, glutamic acid, glycine, 
histidine, leucine and/or isoleucine, proline, serine, threonine, tyrosine, valine and 
glutamine. Asparagine, a-amino-n-butyric acid and hydroxyproline were not identified 
in any one of these species, whereas aspartic acid, cysteic acid, lysine, methionine, 
phenylalanine, tryptophane and taurine were found only in one or two of them. 
References p. 132/135 
