Enkephalin-like immunoreactivity in Drosophila melanogaster.

Enkephalin-immunoreactive neurons have been identified in the central nervous system of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster by immunocytochemical techniques. Analyses of fly extracts by high performance liquid chromatography and radioimmunoassay show a relatively complex pattern of immunoreactive compounds. The most prominent among them has chromatographic properties similar to those of met-enkephalin from which can, however, be distinguished by high-resolution chromatographic techniques.