Vesicle mediated Secretion of Ecdysone from the Drosophila Prothoracic Gland
-
1
University of Minnesota, Genetics, Cell biology and Development, United States
The insect prothoracic gland (PG) is an ideal model system for analyzing regulatory
mechanisms that control steroid hormone biosynthesis and release. Through application of Drosophila molecular genetics, we have identified many of the ecdysone biosynthetic enzymes and now know that the activities of these enzymes are regulated at multiple levels (transcription, translation, phosphorylation) in the PG through the action of several neuropeptides including prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) and insulin. In contrast to the knowledge concerning biosynthetic enzyme regulation, almost nothing is known about control of gland activity at the level of hormone secretion. Using Drosophila genetics, we have uncovered several components that appear to be required for efficient secretion of ecdysone from the PG. These include a secretory Rab, components of the SNARE complex, and at least one ABC-type transporter. We propose that steroid hormone release from the PG is through a regulated vesicle-mediated process and not by simple diffusion as is generally assumed for many steroid hormones. The implications of our findings and possible signaling systems involved in triggering hormone release will be discussed.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by NIGMS grant R01GM093301 to M.B.O. and a Fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science to N.Y.
Keywords:
Ecdysone,
PTTH,
steroid,
vesicle
Conference:
NASCE 2011: The inaugural meeting of the North American Society for Comparative Endocrinology, Ann Arbor, United States, 13 Jul - 16 Jul, 2011.
Presentation Type:
Plenary
Topic:
Developmental endocrinology
Citation:
O'Connor
M and
Yamanaka
N
(2011). Vesicle mediated Secretion of Ecdysone from the Drosophila Prothoracic Gland.
Front. Endocrinol.
Conference Abstract:
NASCE 2011: The inaugural meeting of the North American Society for Comparative Endocrinology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fendo.2011.04.00039
Copyright:
The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers.
They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters.
The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated.
Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed.
For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions.
Received:
09 Jul 2011;
Published Online:
09 Aug 2011.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Michael O'Connor, University of Minnesota, Genetics, Cell biology and Development, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States, moconnor@umn.edu