neotenin

English

Etymology

neoteny +‎ -in

Noun

neotenin (uncountable)

1. (entomology) A juvenile hormone, present in insects, which ensures growth of the larva while preventing metamorphosis.
   • 1954, F. W. Wrigglesworth, The Physiology of Insect Metamorphosis‎^[1]:

     Moreover, as we shall see, evidence has accumulated to show that this hormone brings about suppression of adult characters by favouring the differentiation of larval characters. It has therefore been called fore preference the 'juvenile hormone'. If a Greek term is preferred it might be called 'neotenin'.

   • 1974, Dennis William Wood, Principles of Animal Physiology, page 318:

     Neotenin, also known as the juvenile hormone, is secreted by the corpora allata.

   • 2013, R. A. Crowson, The Biology of the Coleoptera‎^[2], page 201:

     “Bound” neotenin should be readily “given up” to “acceptor” molecules, but the authors found evidence that it was to a considerable degree protected from attack by neotenin-specific esterases in the haemolymph; it was surmised that such proteins might play an important part in regulating the action of the hormone.

Anagrams

• ten-in-one