Abstract
The dry weight of mucous gland of the newly emerged female adult was approximately 6-9mg. On the other hand, the weight of glutinous substance, secreted from the gland and adhering on eggs, was about 16-24mg. This fact suggests that glutious substance is synthesized even during the period of egg deposition. This was confirmed by measuring the rate of incorporation of 14C-1-glycine into the mucous gland. It was found that glutinous substance was vigorously synthesized during the oviposition, and that some glutinous substance was formed even after the completion of oviposition.
The major amino acids of glutinous substance were glutamic acid, glycine and aspartic acid, which were contained at levels of 16.8, 13.9 and 11.3 mole %, respectively. On the other hand, sulfur-containing amino acids and glucosamine were contained in a very small quantity, being less than 1 mole %. When the protein of the glutinous substance was analyzed by SDS-acrylamide gel electrophoresis, highly reproducible pattern of bands was obtained. It was consisted of 9 major and 8 minor bands, and the molecular weights of the major components were estimated to be between 9900 to 76000, respectively.
