PROTEIN NATURE OF SUBSTANCE INDUCING FEMALE MONOGAMY IN AEDES AEGYPTI

Virgin females of Aedes aegypti are inseminated only once. Subsequent insemination is inhibited by a substance from the male accessory gland that is transferred to the female in seminal fluid at the initial mating. This substance, called 'matrone', can be extracted from the whole bodies of male mosquitoes. Injection of matrone into females renders them sterile for life. Gel filtration chromatography with Sephadex G-10, G-25, G-50, and G-100 indicates matrone activity can be separated into at least two components, both macro-molecules. The active material is temperature and pH sensitive and is completely inactivated by treatment with 5% trichloroacetic acid or an amyl-alcohol-chloroform mixture. In addition treatment with the proteolytic enzyme, protease, will result in a complete loss of activity. On the basis of these observations it was concluded at least one of the molecular components which make up active matrone is a protein. Partial purification was achieved by extraction methods using cold acetone and butanol, ammonium sulphate, manganous chloride, gel filtration chromatography with Sephadex, and ion-exchange chromatography with diethylaminoethanol-cellulose. © 1969.