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Updated: Jun 20, 2025

Methods to Test Endocrine Disruption in Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: July 3, 2019
Agonist-dependent action of the juvenile hormone receptor
Marek Jindra1, Sarka Tumova2, Lenka Bittova2
1Institute of Entomology, Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice 37005, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice 37005, Czech Republic.
Abstract:
Juvenile hormone (JH) signaling is realized at the gene regulatory level by receptors of the bHLH-PAS transcription factor family. The sesquiterpenoid hormones and their synthetic mimics are agonist ligands of a unique JH receptor (JHR) protein, methoprene-tolerant (MET). Upon binding an agonist to its PAS-B cavity, MET dissociates from a cytoplasmic chaperone complex including HSP83 and concomitantly switches to a bHLH-PAS partner taiman, forming a nuclear, transcriptionally active JHR heterodimer. This course of events resembles the vertebrate aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), activated by a plethora of endogenous and synthetic compounds. Like in AHR, the pliable PAS-B cavity of MET adjusts to diverse ligands and binds them through similar mechanisms. Despite recent progress, we only begin to discern agonist-induced conformational shifts within the PAS-B domain, with the ultimate goal of understanding how these localized changes stimulate the assembly of the active JHR complex and, thus, fully grasp the mechanism of JHR signaling.
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