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Title: WHICH PHENOLOXIDASE CATALYZES INSECT CUTICLE TANNING, LACCASE OR TYROSINASE?

Author
item KRAMER, KARL - 5430-05-30 RETIRED
item Arakane, Yasuyuki
item Beeman, Richard
item MUTHUKRISHNAN, S - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
item DITTMER, N - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
item KANOST, M - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: National Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2004
Publication Date: 11/1/2004
Citation: Kramer, K.J., Arakane, Y., Beeman, R.W., Muthukrishnan, S., Dittmer, N.T., Kanost, M.R. 2004. Which phenoloxidase catalyzes insect cuticle tanning, laccase or tyrosinase?. National Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Tanning or sclerotization is a vital process during insect development in which N-acylcatecholamines are oxidatively conjugated to cross-link proteins and stabilize the exoskeleton. The phenoloxidases laccase and tyrosinase have been proposed to do this, but evidence presented to date proving the precise identity of the enzyme has been inconclusive. To establish the involvement of either or both of these enzymes in cuticle tanning, we performed phenoloxidase RNAi experiments using the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. The results demonstrate that laccase plays the major role.