Insect prophenoloxidase (PPO) is an important innate immunity protein due to its
involvement in cellular and humoral defense. It belongs to a group of type-3 copper …

Insects possess powerful immune systems that have evolved to defend against wounding
and environmental pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, protozoans, and parasitoids. This …

Overwintering insects must survive the multiple-stress environment of winter, which includes
low temperatures, reduced food and water availability, and cold-active pathogens. Many …

Background Innate immunity is essential in defending against invading pathogens in
invertebrates. The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) is one of the most …

Many insects eat the green leaves of plants but excrete black feces in an as yet unknown
mechanism. Insects cannot avoid ingesting pathogens with food that will be specifically …

ABSTRACT A diverse family of metalloproteases (MPs) is distributed in eukaryotes.
However, the functions of MPs are still understudied. We report that seven MPs belonging to …

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, is the first insect to develop resistance to Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt) in the field. To date, little is known about the molecular mechanism of the …

The maintenance of stem or progenitor cell fate relies on intrinsic factors as well as local
cues from the cellular microenvironment and systemic signaling. In the lymph gland, an …

Plant phenolics are a group of important secondary metabolites that are toxic to many
animals and insects if ingested at high concentrations. Because most insects consume plant …

Insect phenoloxidases (POs) catalyze phenol oxygenation and o-diphenol oxidation to form
reactive intermediates that kill invading pathogens and form melanin polymers. To reduce …