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Protocols for Visualizing Steroidogenic Organs and Their Interactive Organs with Immunostaining in the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: April 14, 2017
Into the world of steroids: a biochemical "keep in touch" in plants and animals
1Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy. anna.speranza@unibo.it
Abstract:
Evolution of steroids such as sex hormones and ecdysteroids occurred independently in animal and plant kingdoms. Plants use phytoecdysteroids (PEs) to control defence interactions with some predators; furthermore, PEs can exert beneficial influence on many aspects of mammalian metabolism. Endocrine disrupting compounds such as the estrogen agonist bisphenol A (BPA) are widespread in the environment, posing a potential hormonal risk to animals and plants. Adverse BPA effects on reproductive development and function are coupled with other toxic effects. BPA bioremediation techniques could be developed by exploiting some tolerant plant species.
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