Role of ecdysone 20-monooxygenase in regulation of 20-hydroxyecdysone levels by juvenile hormone and biogenic amines in Drosophila.

The effects of increased levels of dopamine (feeding flies with dopamine precursor, L: -dihydroxyphenylalanine) and octopamine (feeding flies with octopamine) on ecdysone 20-monooxygenase activity in young (2 days old) wild type females (the strain wt) of Drosophila virilis have been studied. L: -dihydroxyphenylalanine and octopamine feeding increases ecdysone 20-monooxygenase activity by a factor of 1.6 and 1.7, respectively. Ecdysone 20-monooxygenase activity in the young (1 day old) octopamineless females of the strain Tbetah ( nM18 ), in females of the strain P845 (precursor of Tbetah ( nM18 ) strain) and in wild type females (Canton S) of Drosophila melanogaster have been measured. The absence of octopamine leads to a considerable decrease in the enzyme activity. We have also studied the effects of juvenile hormone application on ecdysone 20-monooxygenase activity in 2-day-old wt females of D. virilis and demonstrated that an increase in juvenile hormone titre leads to an increase in the enzyme activity. We discuss the supposition that ecdysone 20-monooxygenase occupies a key position in the regulation of 20-hydroxyecdysone titre under the conditions that lead to changes in juvenile hormone titre and biogenic amine levels.