title: Melittin synthesis in the venom system of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.).
abstract: The amount of melittin (measured by a direct hemolytic assay) contained in the venom system of single honey bees (Apis mellifera), of known age, increases from the time of eclosion to an age of about 4 weeks when about 500 micrograms of melittin is present. In older bees (5-6 weeks) the melittin level falls to about 250 micrograms. Measurements of the incorporation of [3H]leucine (injected into the haemolymph) into melittin show that melittin synthesis is most active in bees aged between 1 and 2 weeks after eclosion. The melittin content of the venom system changes as the summer progresses. Melittin levels in a bee of any age greater than 1 week are lower in mid-August than in a bee of the same age in early June.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Pfaff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001514:Bee Venoms / Q000378:metabolism*; D001516:Bees; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D006461:Hemolysis; D007930:Leucine / Q000378:metabolism; D008555:Melitten / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013997:Time Factors; D014316:Tritium / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001514:Bee Venoms; D014316:Tritium; D008555:Melitten; D007930:Leucine