home news faculty undergraduate graduate staff seminars resources & links history intranet giving alumni

email:  fengelma@ucla.edu
phone:  (310) 825-1772
fax:  (310) 206-3987
office:  LS 1112
lab:  

research interests:   Insect physiology, insect and invertebrate endocrinology.

Research Interests

As a physiologist and developmental biologist my primary interests are in the elucidation of regulation of developmental and physiological events. In this sense I am interested, for example, in how environmental cues are mediated by hormones and translated into the functioning of organ systems and whole animals. For many years, my research efforts were concentrated on juvenile hormone (JH) controlled vitellogenesis in insects as well as induction of digestive enzymes by food intake. My research approach to questions on regulated vitellogenesis ranged from aspects of control of the corpora allata (the source for JH) to the molecular events involved in JH controlled vitellogenin synthesis , the major yolk protein precursor. We were successful in the isolation and identification of the subunits of vitellogenin in a cockroach species, and we also clarified how the mature molecule is generated by postranslational processing. We were, furthermore, successful in the physiological characterization of the JH receptor involved in the induction of transcription of the vitellogenin mRNA. The physico-chemical properties of this receptor are being identified. In all of the research in insect and invertebrate endocrinology my interest lies in the complexity of regulations and not only in the single specific event. An example of such a complexity is provided by the figure given, illustrating the pleitropic action of one hormone, the juvenile hormone, in vitellogenesis of insects.

Selected Publications

Engelmann, F and Mala, J.. 2005. The cockroach Leucophaea maderae needs more than juvenile hormone, vitellogenin and reserves to make a yolky egg J. Insect Physiology 51: 465-472 .

Engelmann, F. 2003. Juvenile hormone action in insect reproduction Encyclopedia of Hormones, Academic Press 536-539 .

Engelmann, F. 2002. Ecdysteroids, juvenile hormone and vitellogenesis in the cockroach Leucophaea maderae Journal of Insect Science 2(20): .

Engelmann, F. and Mala, J.. 2000. The interactions between juvenile hormone, lipophorin, vitellogenin, and JH esterases in two cockroach species Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol 30: 793-803 .

Engelmann, F. 1999. Reproduction in insects Ecological Entomology' Eds C.B. Huffaker and A.P. Gutierrez 2nd Edition: 123-158 .

Don-Wheeler, G., and Engelmann, F. 1997. The biosynthesis and processing of vitellogenin in the fat bodies of females and males of the cockroach Leucophaea maderae Insect Biochem. Molec. Biol 27: 901-918 .

Engelmann, F.. 1995. The juvenile hormone receptor of the cockroach Leucophaea maderae Insect Biochem. Molec. Biol 25: 721-726 .

Engelmann, F.. 1994. Invertebrates: Hormone-regulated gonadal activity Perspectives in Comparative Endocrinology. Eds K.D. Davey, R.E. Peter and S.S. Tobe, National Research Council of Canada 36-40 .

Don-Wheeler, G., and Engelmann, F.. 1991. The female-and male-produced vitellogenin of Leucophaea maderae J. Insect Physiol 37: 869-882 .

Engelmann, F.. 1990. Hormonal control of Arthropod reproduction , Wiley-Liss 357-365 .