juvenile hormone

American  

noun

Biochemistry.

1. any of a class of insect and plant hormones acting to inhibit the molting of a juvenile insect into its adult form.

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juvenile hormone British  

noun

1. a hormone, secreted by insects from a pair of glands behind the brain, that promotes the growth of larval characteristics and inhibits metamorphosis

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Etymology

Origin of juvenile hormone

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

In ants, previous research has shown that higher levels of juvenile hormone promote foraging behavior.

From Science Magazine

Without Jhe to break it down, more juvenile hormone was reaching the brains of these ants, and “soldier behavior was reprogrammed to forager behavior,” Ju says.

From Science Magazine

Adria LeBeouf, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Fribourg who was not involved with the study, says the study convincingly shows the insects’ blood-brain barrier uses Jhe to control levels of juvenile hormone coming into the brain.

From Science Magazine

“It shows that the traffic of juvenile hormone is probably very, very important,” she says.

From Science Magazine

One hormone shown to be critical to development and vocational destiny in many species, known as juvenile hormone, is tightly regulated by enzymes that break it down if it is expressed at the wrong time during development.

From Science Magazine