Novel roles for the corpus allatum hormone in the cost of sexual interactions in the linden bug Pyrrhocoris apterus

0365258 - BC 2012 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Blažková, Hana - Provazník, Jan - Hodková, Magdalena
Novel roles for the corpus allatum hormone in the cost of sexual interactions in the linden bug Pyrrhocoris apterus.
Journal of Insect Physiology. Roč. 57, č. 4 (2011), s. 529-535. ISSN 0022-1910. E-ISSN 1879-1611
R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP502/10/1612
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50070508
Keywords : life-span * mating activity * allatectomy
Subject RIV: ED - Physiology
Impact factor: 2.236, year: 2011

The cost of sexual interactions, usually expressed as a reduction of life-span, is a fundamental but poorly understood aspect of life. According to a widely accepted view, a rise in the “pro-aging” juvenile hormone (JH) might contribute to the decrease of life span caused by sexual interactions. We tested this hypothesis using the linden bug Pyrrhocoris apterus by removing the corpus allatum (CA), the source of JH. Contrary to prediction, the decrease of life span by sexual interactions was similar in control and CA-ablated males, and was even enhanced in CA-ablated females, suggesting that the cost of sexual interactions is not mediated by enhanced levels of JH. Another unexpected finding was that the female JH is principally responsible for the sex-induced reduction in the male survival. This is the first demonstration of the effect of a female reproductive hormone on the male life span in animals.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0200542