Annotation and expression analysis of cuticular proteins from the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta.

ABSTRACT: The insect cuticle is a unique material that covers the exterior of the animal as well as lining the foregut, hindgut, and tracheae. It offers protection from predators and desiccation, defines body shape, and serves as an attachment site for internal organs and muscle. It has demonstrated remarkable variations in hardness, flexibility and elasticity, all the while being light weight, which allows for ease of movement and flight. It is composed primarily of chitin, proteins, catecholamines, and lipids. Proteomic analyses of cuticle from different life stages and species of insects has allowed for a more detailed examination of the protein content and how it relates to cuticle mechanical properties. It is now recognized that several groups of cuticular proteins exist and that they can be cl

SUBMITTER: Dittmer NT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4476932 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature