期刊
INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
卷 40, 期 3, 页码 267-273出版社
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2010.01.004
关键词
Insect; Cuticle; Tanning; Sclerotization; Pigmentation; Eye; Tyrosine hydroxylase
资金
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [R01A1070864]
- National Science Foundation [IOS0726425]
Newly synthesized insect cuticle is soft and pale but becomes stronger (sclerotized) and often darker (pigmented) over several hours or days. The first step in the sclerotization and pigmentation pathways is the hydroxylation of tyrosine to produce 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is known to catalyze this reaction during pigmentation, but a role for TH in sclerotization has not been documented. The goal of this study was to determine whether TH is required for cuticle sclerotization in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. We used quantitative RT-PCR to verify that TH expression occurs at the time of cuticle tanning and immunohistochemistry to confirm that TH is expressed in the epithelial cells underlying sclerotized cuticle. In addition, we found that a reduction in TH function (mediated by RNA interference) resulted in a decrease in cuticle pigmentation and a decrease in the hardness of both pigmented and colorless cuticle. These results demonstrate a requirement for TH in sclerotization as well as brown pigmentation of insect cuticle. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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