Histophysiological studies on the corpus allatum of Leucophaea maderae. VI. Ultrastructural characteristics in gonadectomized females.

The ultrastructure of the corpora allata of 29 Leucophaea ovariectomized in the nymphal stage and maintained up to an adult age of 28 months was examined. In general, the subcellular morphology of these glands has much in common with that of normal female controls examined at the height of their activity. In addition, the most "typical" of the gonadectomy cases show certain distinctive features that are either absent or much less prominent in unoperated controls. Of primary interest is the striking abundance of smooth surfaced endoplasmic reticulum observed in many but not all of the castrates. Since this organelle is implicated in the biosynthesis of juvenile hormone, the factor normally responsible for yolk deposition, its increase, together with certain additional ultrastructural features, is indicative of an exceptionally high rate of hormone production. An explanation for the putative hyperactivity displayed to various degrees by the experimental animals may well be the constancy of the demand on their corpora allata, since removal of the ovaries abolishes the afferent signals in response to which, in the intact female, the brain turns off these glands during the long periods of gestation. That the synthetic effort may eventually level off, even in the absence of regular inhibitory stimuli, is suggested by the corpora allata of those castrates, the ultrastructure of which reflects moderate activity or possibly further regression.