Hormonal control of head-wart development in the snail, Euhadra peliomphala.
The terrestrial snail, Euhadra peliomphala, has a peculiar organ between the optic tentacles named the head-wart, which releases a sex pheromone just before courtship. The development of the head-wart was closely correlated with the sexual maturity of the snail. Castration led to the atrophy of the head-wart. Subsequent injection of hermaphrodite gland homogenate into the body cavity of castrated individuals induced the development of the head-wart. The peripheral regions of the acini in the hermaphrodite gland showed a positive reaction for 3 beta-hydroxy steroid dehydrogenase. Furthermore, preliminary radioimmunoassay also showed that the hermaphrodite gland of the snail contained testosterone and estradiol. When the immature head-wart was cultured for 10 days in a medium containing testosterone and estradiol respectively, development of the head-wart was found only in medium containing testosterone. From these results, it is concluded that head-wart development in the snail, Euhadra peliomphala, is under direct control from the hermaphrodite gland, probably by means of testosterone.
D000818:Animals; D002369:Castration; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004958:Estradiol / Q000502:physiology; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000502:physiology*; D006257:Head / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D012741:Sexual Maturation; D012908:Snails / Q000254:growth & development*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000502:physiology
D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol