Abstract
Glycoprotein with biochemical characteristics that allow us to classify it as a glycoprotein of mucin-type was isolated from cultured embryonic cells of Drosophila melanogaster. This is the first finding of mucin-type glycoprotein in insects. Using high-affinity monoclonal antibodies against a carbohydrate epitope, we demonstrated that the accumulation of this glycoprotein in the culture fluid of Drosophila cell line and cultured cells of other insects was inhibited by secretion inhibitors. 20-hydroxyecdysone, a hormone responsible for molting and metamorphosis in insects, inhibits the accumulation of this glycoprotein in the culture fluid, as well as in cells of Drosophila Dm cell line. In another cell line (Schneider-2), where there was practically no secretion of this glycoprotein, the hormone induced its increased accumulation in the cells. Mucin glycoproteins recognized by monoclonal antibodies have been found in embryos, imaginal disc, fat body, testicles, and ovaries, but not in salivary glands or muscles of Drosophila.
