Ecdysone promotes growth of imaginal discs through the regulation of Thor in D. melanogaster.

ABSTRACT: Animals have a determined species-specific body size that results from the combined action of hormones and signaling pathways regulating growth rate and duration. In Drosophila, the steroid hormone ecdysone controls developmental transitions, thereby regulating the duration of the growth period. Here we show that ecdysone promotes the growth of imaginal discs in mid-third instar larvae, since imaginal discs from larvae with reduced or no ecdysone synthesis are smaller than wild type due to smaller and fewer cells. We show that insulin-like peptides are produced and secreted normally in larvae with reduced ecdysone synthesis, and upstream components of insulin/insulin-like signaling are activated in their discs. Instead, ecdysone appears to regulate the growth of imaginal discs via Thor/4E-

SUBMITTER: Herboso L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4510524 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature