Stress-reactivity and juvenile hormone degradation in Drosophila melanogaster strains having stress-related mutations

Juvenile hormone (JH) degradation was studied under normal and stress condi tions in young and matured females of Drosophila melanogaster strains havin g mutations in different genes involved in responses to stress It was shown that (1) the impairment in heat shock response elicits an alteration in st ress-reactivity of the JH system; (2) the impairment JH reception causes a decrease of JH-hydrolysing activity and of stress-reactivity in young femal es, while in mature ones stress reactivity is completely absent; (3) the ab sence of octopamine results in higher JH-hydrolysis level under normal cond itions and altered JH stress-reactivity; (4) the higher dopamine content el icits a dramatic decrease of JH degradation under normal conditions and of JH stress-reactivity. Thus, the impairments in any component of the Drosoph ila stress reaction result in changes in the reponse of JH degradation syst em to stress. The role of JH in the development of the insect stress reacti on is discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.