Dual Roles of Glutathione in Ecdysone Biosynthesis and Antioxidant Function During Larval Development in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Ecdysteroids, including the biologically active hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), play essential roles in controlling many developmental and physiological events in insects. Ecdysteroid biosynthesis is achieved by a series of specialized enzymes encoded by the Halloween genes. Recently, a new class of Halloween gene, noppera-bo (nobo), encoding a glutathione S-transferase (GST) in dipteran and lepidopteran species, has been identified and characterized. GSTs are well known to conjugate substrates with the reduced form of glutathione (GSH), a bioactive tripeptide composed of glutamate, cysteine, and glycine. We hypothesized that GSH itself is required for ecdysteroid biosynthesis. However, the role of GSH in steroid hormone biosynthesis has not been examined in any orga

SUBMITTER: Enya S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5714463 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature