title: Salivary amylase activity of the phlebotomine sand fly, Lutzomyia longipalpis.
abstract: Both male and female adult stages of the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis have detectable amylase activity in their salivary glands, as indicated by formation of p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-maltoside from p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-octoside and by hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-maltoheptaoside-4,6,-O-ethylidene. No salivary alpha-glucosidase was detected. Amylase activity was also found in the crop and midgut of female flies, although in a smaller amount. Salivary amylase is significantly reduced from the salivary glands immediately after a blood meal, as is the case with salivary alpha-glucosidases in mosquitoes. Presence of salivary gland amylase in these sand flies, and absence of salivary alpha-glucosidase, indicates that in nature these insects may have a significant intake of carbohydrates in the form of starch, as suggested by their plant-feeding behavior, previously demonstrated by Schlein and Warburg (Schlein, Y., Warburg, A., 1986. Phytophagy and the feeding cycle of Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) under experimental conditions. Journal of Medical Entomology 23, 11-15), and Alexander and Usma (Alexander, B., Usma, M.C., 1994. Potential sources of sugar for the phlebotomine sandfly Lutzomyia youngi (Diptera: Psychodidae) in a Columbia coffee plantation. Ann. Trop. Med. Parasitol. 88, 543-549).
authors.affiliation: Section of Medical Entomology, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, MSC-0425, NIH, Bethesda 20892-0425, USA. jribeiro@nih.gov
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Rowton
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Charlab
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007526:Isoelectric Point; D008297:Male; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000201:enzymology*; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000201:enzymology*; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D000516:alpha-Amylases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000516:alpha-Amylases