— A team of University of Minnesota researchers have discovered how PTTH, a hormone produced by the brain, controls the metamorphosis of juvenile insects into adults.The finding, published in the Dec. 4 issue of Science, will help scientists understand how insect body size is programmed in response to developmental and environmental cues and offers the opportunity to develop a new generation of more environmentally safe ways to control agricultural pests as well as insects that carry human pathogens.
Scientists have known for 100 years that a brain-derived neuropeptide known as PTTH controls metamorphosis and although its specific sequence was identified 20 years ago, the way it signaled endocrine tissue has remained elusive until now.
"Understanding the signaling pathway that controls metamorphosis has been a long-term goal for many insect physiologists," says lead author Michael O'Connor, professor of genetics, cell biology and development at the University of Minnesota's College of Biological Sciences, where he holds the Ordway Chair in Developmental Biology.
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Photo: Chrysalis of Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) (Credit: Pollinator publiched under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0)
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