Production of vitellogeninin vitroby the periovaric fat body ofBlattella germanica(L.) (Dictyoptera, Blattellidae)

Summary The fat body produces vitellogenic proteins, which are released to the haemolymph and incorporated into developing oocytes. In the cockroach Blattella germanica, endocrine and other physiological cues regulate vitellogenesis in a complex homeostatic pattern, which is not fully understood. The in vitro approach may be useful to study this pattern, and the present paper describes an experimental set-up based on the incubation of the periovaric portion of the fat body and the measurement of vitellogenin production with an EIA method. The results correspond fairly well with equivalent data obtained in vivo and suggest that the periovaric fat body is an appropriate anatomical unit to study vitellogenin production in vitro.