ecdysone

[ ek-duh-zohn, -sohn ]

noun

1. an insect hormone that stimulates metamorphosis.

ecdysone

/ ɛkˈdaɪˌsəʊn /

noun

1. a hormone secreted by the prothoracic gland of insects that controls ecdysis and stimulates metamorphosis

Word History and Origins

Origin of ecdysone¹

First recorded in 1955–60; ecdys(is) + -one

Word History and Origins

Origin of ecdysone¹

C20: from German ecdyson, from Greek ekdusis; see ecdysis

Example Sentences

In the larval stage, that gland receives lots of nutritional information that helps it decide how to regulate ecdysone production.

From Science Daily

They hypothesized that it had something to do with a steroid hormone involved in fruit fly growth called ecdysone, which is similar to estrogen and testosterone in humans.

From Science Daily

Instead, a "stop growing" switch is triggered by the gland that makes ecdysone.

From Science Daily

But once ecdysone reaches a certain level, the gland no longer needs that nutritional information to make decisions and starts regulating itself.

From Science Daily

They knew ecdysone played a large part in the silkworm's life cycle, and when they discovered that it was remarkably similar to human sex hormones, they were fascinated.

From Time Magazine Archive