Gene Association: SOX14

ecdysone

C27H44O6 (464.3138)

A 6-oxo steroid that is 5beta-cholest-7-en-6-one substituted by hydroxy groups at positions 2, 3, 14, 22 and 25 respectively (the 2beta, 3beta, 22R stereoisomer). It is a steroid prohormone of the major insect moulting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone. D006730 - Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists > D006728 - Hormones Ecdysone, also known as molting hormone, belongs to pentahydroxy bile acids, alcohols and derivatives class of compounds. Those are bile acids, alcohols or derivatives bearing five hydroxyl groups. Thus, ecdysone is considered to be a sterol lipid molecule. Ecdysone is practically insoluble (in water) and a very weakly acidic compound (based on its pKa). Ecdysone can be synthesized from 5beta-cholestane. Ecdysone is also a parent compound for other transformation products, including but not limited to, (25R)-11alpha,20,26-trihydroxyecdysone, (24R)-11alpha,20,24-trihydroxyecdysone, and ecdysone 25-O-D-glucopyranoside. Ecdysone can be found in spinach, which makes ecdysone a potential biomarker for the consumption of this food product. Ecdysone is a steroidal prohormone of the major insect molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone, which is secreted from the prothoracic glands. Insect molting hormones (ecdysone and its homologues) are generally called ecdysteroids. Ecdysteroids act as moulting hormones of arthropods but also occur in other related phyla where they can play different roles. In Drosophila melanogaster, an increase in ecdysone concentration induces the expression of genes coding for proteins that the larva requires, and it causes chromosome puffs (sites of high expression) to form in polytene chromosomes. Recent findings in Chris Q. Doe lab have found a novel role of this hormone in regulating temporal gene transitions within neural stem cells. Ecdysone and other ecdysteroids also appear in many plants mostly as a protection agent (toxins or antifeedants) against herbivorous insects. These phytoecdysteroids have been reputed to have medicinal value and are part of herbal adaptogenic remedies like Cordyceps, yet an ecdysteroid precursor in plants has been shown to have cytotoxic properties. A pesticide sold with the name MIMIC has ecdysteroid activity, although its chemical structure has little resemblance to the ecdysteroids . Ecdysone (α-Ecdysone), a major steroid hormone in insects and herbs, triggers mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation and induces cellular apoptosis. Ecdysone plays essential roles in coordinating developmental transitions and homeostatic sleep regulation through its active metabolite 20-hydroxyecdysone (Crustecdysone; 20E; HY-N6979)[1][2].