The discovery of fungal sex hormones: II. Antheridiol

Abstract

Antheridiol, originally termed hormone A, was discovered by John Raper during a study on mating in the oomycete water mould Achlya that extended from the mid-1930s to 1950. The hormone, which is produced by the female and induces the development of antheridia in the male, was postulated by Raper in 1939, its existence proved in 1940, and obtained by Raper and the chemist Haagen-Smit in a highly concentrated state by 1942. The study of mating in Achlya was resumed, by Alma Barksdale, in the mid-1950s. She and the chemist Trevor McMorris reported the isolation of antheridiol in 1967. A steroid, its structure was determined in 1968. Barksdale's career came to an end in 1975 through ill-health, but other workers continue to study antheridiol and to exploit its properties in their research.