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. 1974 Mar;71(3):793–796. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.3.793

The Secretion of α-Ecdysone by the Prothoracic Glands of Manduca sexta In Vitro

D S King *, W E Bollenbacher †, D W Borst †, W V Vedeckis ‡, J D O'Connor †, P I Ittycheriah ‡, L I Gilbert ‡
PMCID: PMC388100  PMID: 16592146

Abstract

Prothoracic glands of tobacco hornworm larvae cultured in vitro secrete into the culture medium a substance which was active in ecdysone bioassays and determined to be ecdysone-like by radioimmunoassay. The prothoracic glands appear to be the sole source of this substance. The material was identified as α-ecdysone by thin-layer, gas-liquid, and high-resolution liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. No other active moulting principles were present in the medium. It appears that the prothoracic gland secretes a prohormone, α-ecdysone, which is subsequently converted into the active moulting hormone, β-ecdysone, in other insect tissues.

Keywords: insect moulting hormone, steroids, organ culture, radioimmunoassay

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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