Insect cuticle structure and metabolism

Herbert Oberlander coordinated the section that features chapters on sac-specific selection using chimeric genes potential applications of neuroendocrine research to insect control insect cuticle structure and metabolism molecular aspects of immune mechanisms in insects molecular genetics of nerve insensitivity resistance to insecticides and inhibition of juvenile hormone esterase by transition-state analogs. 

KRAMER ETAL. Insect Cuticle Structure and Metabolism... 

In contrast, no insecticide has been developed to interfere specifically with the process associated with the steroidal insect molting hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone. Although active ecdysteroids can be obtained from plant and animal sources (S), the main reason for the failure to develop them as insecticides has been that (a) their structures are too complex to produce economically, (b) their hydrophilic nature prohibits their penetration into insect cuticle, and (c) insects have powerful mechanisms to eliminate ecdysones between molts. One approach to solve these problems is to synthesize a simple molecule which can mimic ecdysone, but with appropriate chemical and transport properties, and acceptable metabolic stability. 

Diflubenzuron inhibits several enzyme systems in crab and insect larvae, resulting in disrupted glucose metabolism, reduced AGA incorporation into cuticle, and ultra-structural deformities of chitinous components of the cuticle. Specifically, diflubenzuron inhibits chitin synthetase, a magnesium-requiring enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of A-acetyl-D-glucosamine to chitin the final result is relatively large accumulations of AGAs. 

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