Insect cuticular lipids
Abstract
Cuticular lipids form a barrier that protects insects from dehydration and other potentially harmful environmental factors. They also function as sex pheromones and semiochemicals for conspecific and interspecific communication. This chapter reviews the chemistry, regulation, biosynthesis, metabolism and physiological functions of cuticular lipids. In many insects, cuticular lipids comprise a myriad of different hydrocarbons and other hydrophobic molecules. Hydrocarbons are produced by oenocytes and recent advances highlight interesting parallels between these insect cells and mammalian sebocytes. Insects provide a powerful model for studying cutaneous lipid barriers during evolution, development, ageing and disease.
Details
Book title
Comprehensive Molecular Insect Science
Editors
Yamanaka,Naoki
, Atkinson,Peter W
Pages
324-355
Publication date
Publisher
Elsevier
ISBN
9780323958189
Keywords
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