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. 2016 Jul 19;7(5):196–202. doi: 10.1080/21541264.2016.1210370

Figure 1.

Figure 1.

The ecdysteroid biosynthesis pathway and the role of Ouija board on spookier expression in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. In the prothoracic gland (insect steroidogenic organ), cholesterol and other sterols are converted into ecdysteroids via several intermediate steps. The modifications on carbon residues and the responsible enzymes are indicated with red and green, respectively. In the nucleus, nvd and spok are located in the heterochromatin region. A zinc finger transcription factor named “Ouija board (Ouib)” specifically binds to the promoter region of “spookier” and induces expression of this gene. Both Ouib and Spok are essential for ecdysteroid biosynthesis during larval development.