Chitin Synthases Are Critical for Reproduction, Molting, and Digestion in the Salmon Louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis).

ABSTRACT: Chitin synthase (CHS) is a large transmembrane enzyme that polymerizes Uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine into chitin. The genomes of insects often encode two chitin synthases, CHS1 and CHS2. Their functional roles have been investigated in several insects: CHS1 is mainly responsible for synthesizing chitin in the cuticle and CHS2 in the midgut. Lepeophtheirus salmonis is an ectoparasitic copepod on salmonid fish, which causes significant economic losses in aquaculture. In the present study, the tissue-specific localization, expression, and functional role of L. salmonis chitin synthases, LsCHS1 and LsCHS2, were investigated. The expressions of LsCHS1 and LsCHS2 were found in oocytes, ovaries, intestine, and integument. Wheat germ agglu

SUBMITTER: Harðardottir HM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7828418 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature