A hormone from the uterus of the tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans, stimulates parturition and abortion

Publication Type

Journal Article

Journal Name

Journal of Insect Physiology

Publication Date

2-21-1997

Abstract

Unlike most insects, the tsetse female gives birth to a single, fully grown larva at the culmination of each pregnancy cycle. The expulsion of the larva is regulated by a hormone present in rich abundance within the female's uterus. The hormone elicits parturition when injected into neck-ligated females at late stages of pregnancy and abortion when injected at earlier stages. We refer to this highly active material (0.043 uterus equivalents stimulates parturition in 50% of the females) as parturition hormone. Injection of the active extract, which appears to be a peptide or small protein, initiates the series of blood pressure pulsations and uterine contractions normally associated with parturition. The discovery that a uterus extract from the flesh fly also elicits parturition in tsetse suggests that this hormone may be widely distributed in insects.

Keywords

Abortion, Myotropic, Neurohormone, Parturition, Tsetse, Uterus

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