An ecdysteroid-induced alteration in the cell cycle of cultured Drosophila cells.

The addition of physiological concentrations of the arthropod molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone results in the cessation of cell division in the Kc cell line of Drosophila melanogaster. Fluorometric mononitoring of the cell cycle reveals that treatment of the cells with hormone for 12 hr causes a G2 arrest. The dose-response curves are in agreement with those obtained for other hormonal effects in both the Kc line and the intact animal. In the continual presence of hormone, cells remain G2-arrested for approximately 100 hr, resuming division by 120 hr. Cells which have responded once to ecdysteroids and subsequently reentered the cell cycle are insensitive to hormonal restimulation. This lack of response has been correlated with, and is probably due to, the loss of ecdysteroid receptors in stimulated cells.