The identification and characterisation of novel peptide signalling pathways that function in the Drosophila prothoracic gland

Developing animals often use steroid hormones to control important transitions in life stages, and dysregulation of such hormones can lead to severe consequences such as delays in development, malformations, or even death. Steroid hormone production is regulated by protein signals produced in the brain, but we have a limited understanding of the range signals used. Using the fruit fly as a model system, this thesis identified several new proteins that regulate steroid hormone synthesis. Reducing the levels of these proteins resulted in impaired steroid hormone production. These findings suggest that regulation of steroids is more complex than previously thought.