CHANGES IN IN VITRO ACTIVITY OF GLYCOLYTIC ENZYMES DURING METAMORPHOSIS OF BLOWFLY LUCILIA CUPRINA

The activity in vitro of the complete glycolytic enzyme system and of glycogen phosphorylase, hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, aldolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, 3-phosphoglycerate kinase, and pyruvic kinase has been measured at different stages of metamorphosis of Lucilia. All the activities decreased (between 71 and 99 per cent) during the transformation of larvae to pupae, and increased during pharate adult life (two- to threefold). During adult maturation the activities of most of these enzymes increased to values approximately equal to those of the larvae. However, hexokinase activity of the mature adults was about eighteenfold that of the larvae and the activity of glycogen phosphorylase in mature adults was much less than that in larvae. The activity of the complete glycolytic enzyme system during metamorphosis is compared to the net carbohydrate catabolism and it is concluded that the glycolytic activities as measured in vitro are severely limited in vivo. © 1969.