A decade with the juvenile hormone receptor

Juvenile hormone (JH) and ecdysteroids represent equally important nonpeptide signals governing insect reproduction and development. For a considerable time, understanding of JH action lagged behind ecdysteroid research. Arriving with a 20-year delay, the intracellular receptor for JH was finally identified as a ligand-activated bHLH-PAS transcription factor, originally named Methoprene-tolerant (Met), by virtue of the resistance Drosophila mutants exhibited to morphogenetic and lethal actions of JH and its mimic methoprene. Systemic RNAi in suitable insect models revealed the anticipated function of Met in preventing metamorphosis and promoting reproduction, thus providing the missing link to the