Science Article Summary #3

Biology News Net, “First discovery of the female sex hormone progesterone in a plant.” American Chemical Society. [Internet]. [accessed Feb 4 2010] Available from:
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2010/02/04/first_discovery_of_the_female_sex_hormone_progesterone_in_a_plant.html?

First discovery of the female sex hormone progesterone in a plant

Scientists have recently had to rethink their beliefs about the differences between plants and humans due to the discovery of the female sex hormone progesterone in a plant. Progesterone is a steroid hormone produced in the ovaries of women, which is necessary for pregnancy.

Guido F. Pauli and other scientists from the American Chemical Society published their findings in their monthly trade publication, the Journal of Natural Products. According to Pauli, there is no apparent reason for the presence of progesterone in plants. He suggests that it could be a bioregulator of some sort, which is left over from billions of years of evolution. It is believed that this discovery may help scientists better understand why and how progesterone has evolved, and its relationship to living things.

Although progesterone had not previously been found in plants, a similar hormonal-type substance had been identified. Currently, researchers have had more success using nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy to identify progesterone in plants such as walnut trees and buttercups.