The ecdysoneless 1 Gene Regulates Metabolism of the Juvenile Hormone and Dopamine in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract
The dopamine (DA) content and the level of juvenile hormone (JH) degradation were studied in females of the wild-type Canton S strain and the ecdysoneless 1 (ecd 1) mutant, which does not produce ecdysone at a restrictive temperature (29°C). Exposure at the restrictive temperature considerably increased the JH-hydrolyzing activity and the DA content in five-day ecd 1 females compared with flies of both strains growing at 19°C and Canton S females exposed at 29°C. In one-day ecd 1 females, the level of JH degradation also increased at the restrictive temperature, but the DA content was low. The effect of ecdysone deficiency on the stress reaction in Drosophila melanogaster females was studied using changes in DA content and JH degradation as the reaction indicators. The ecd 1 mutation did not prevent the initiation of the stress reaction in females exposed at the restrictive temperature, but changed its intensity (stress reactivity). The interaction of 20-hydroxyecdysone with JH and DA in regulating Drosophila reproduction under normal conditions and in stress is discussed.

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