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Precocene II causes atrophy of corpora allata in Locusta migratoria

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Abstract

BOWERS et al.1 found that chromene derivatives extracted from the plant Ageratum houstonianum have ‘anti-juvenile hormone’ effects. They named the most active substance (6,7-dimethoxy-2,2-dimethylchromene) precocene II and demonstrated its ‘anti-gonadotropic’ activity in several insect orders, but obtained morphogenetic effects (precocious-prothetelic adults after administration to young instars) only in Heteroptera. Pratt and Bowers2 have shown that precocene II inhibits juvenile hormone (JH) biosynthesis by cockroach corpora allata (CA) in vitro. Preliminary experiments3 have indicated that it has a morphogenetic anti-juvenile effect in the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria migratorioides. We report here that precocene II, as far as investigated, induces all of the anti-juvenile effects in this insect and, at least in adequate doses, causes atrophy of the CA.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

    M. P. PENER

  2. Laboratorium voor Entomologie, Landbouwhogeschool, Wageningen

    M. P. PENER

  3. Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

    L. ORSHAN

  4. Laboratorium voor Entomologie, Landbouwhogeschool, Binnenhaven, 7, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    J. DE WILDE

Authors
  1. M. P. PENER
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  2. L. ORSHAN
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  3. J. DE WILDE
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PENER, M., ORSHAN, L. & DE WILDE, J. Precocene II causes atrophy of corpora allata in Locusta migratoria. Nature 272, 350–353 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/272350a0

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