Diapause hormone in the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea: Optimum temperature for activity, structure–activity relationships, and efficacy in accelerating flesh fly pupariation

Diapause hormone (DH) effectively terminated pupal diapause in Helicoverpa zea. This effect was temperature-dependent, with an optimum of 21 °C. The dose–response curve indicated an ED50 of DH for diapause termination of approximately 100 pmol. The core sequence and essential amino acids were determined by bioassays using modified and truncated DH analogs. A C-terminal hepta-peptide, LWFGPRLa, was the core sequence required for diapause termination. Activity was lost when Alanine was substituted for any of the amino acids in the hepta-peptide, with the exception of Glycine. A fragment series of analogs suggested that the amide and Arginine were the most important components needed for terminating diapause. Leucine, Tryptophan, and Phenylalanine at the N-terminus of the hepta-peptide were also critical for activity. The C-terminal Leucine was less important: deletion resulted in decreased activity, although it could not be substituted by Alanine. The fact that a portion of the DH sequence is similar to the pyrokinin that accelerates fly pupariation prompted us to also evaluate the capability of DH to accelerate development in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga bullata. The threshold dose of DH essential to accelerate fly pupariation was 5 pmol for immobilization/retraction and longitudinal contraction and 10 pmol for tanning, approximately one or two orders of magnitude lower than the effective dose required for diapause termination in H. zea. Tensiometric measurements revealed that DH affected neuromuscular patterns of pupariation behavior and associated cuticular changes in a manner similar to that of the fly pyrokinins and their analogs.