760C Poster - 12. Physiology, metabolism and aging
Saturday April 09, 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Authors:
Maggie Santos; Becky Tayln

Affiliation: California State University San Bernardino

Keywords:
e. endocrine function; b. oogenesis

Glyphosate based herbicides are the most commonly used world-wide. The effects of glyphosate on reproductive and endocrine systems has not been fully explored. We used a JH inhibitor, precocene, and a JH analog, methoprene, to determine if glyphosate interacts with the JH pathway. So far, the lowest survivability to day three has been for Roundup Super Concentrate treated with precocene. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is a non-selective herbicide. It is the most widely used pesticide due to its indiscriminate ability to kill weeds. Originally believed to only affect plants because it affects the shikimate pathway, which animals lack, studies indicate that glyphosate based herbicides (GBHs) harm animals and microorganisms. GBHs can cause endocrine disrupting behaviors in non-target organisms (Gasnier et al. 2009), including oocyte production (Talyn et al. 2020). We seek to identify a mechanism by which GBHs reduce oocyte production and decrease reproduction, using the Drosophila melanogaster model system. We will use a JH inhibitor, precocene, and a JH analogue, methoprene, along with treatments of GHBs and glyphosate alone to determine whether GBHs act on reproductive output through a pathway involving JH, an important hormone in Drosophila reproduction (Wilson 1982).