Critical Analysis of the Melanogenic Pathway in Insects and Higher Animals
Manickam Sugumaran,Hanine Barek +1 more
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TLDR
The biochemistry of melanogenesis process occurring in higher animals and insects, and importance of the melanogenic process in insect physiology especially in the sclerotization of their exoskeleton, wound healing reactions and innate immune responses is highlighted.Abstract:
Animals synthesize melanin pigments for the coloration of their skin and use it for their protection from harmful solar radiation. Insects use melanins even more ingeniously than mammals and employ them for exoskeletal pigmentation, cuticular hardening, wound healing and innate immune responses. In this review, we discuss the biochemistry of melanogenesis process occurring in higher animals and insects. A special attention is given to number of aspects that are not previously brought to light: (1) the molecular mechanism of dopachrome conversion that leads to the production of two different dihydroxyindoles; (2) the role of catecholamine derivatives other than dopa in melanin production in animals; (3) the critical parts played by various biosynthetic enzymes associated with insect melanogenesis; and (4) the presence of a number of important gaps in both melanogenic and sclerotinogenic pathways. Additionally, importance of the melanogenic process in insect physiology especially in the sclerotization of their exoskeleton, wound healing reactions and innate immune responses is highlighted. The comparative biochemistry of melanization with sclerotization is also discussed.read more
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A Three-Ring circus: Metabolism of the three proteogenic aromatic amino acids and their role in the health of plants and animals
Anutthaman Parthasarathy,Penelope J. Cross,Renwick C. J. Dobson,Renwick C. J. Dobson,Lily E. Adams,Michael A. Savka,André O. Hudson +6 more
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Innate humoral immune defences in mammals and insects: The same, with differences ?
TL;DR: Understanding the structure and function of the insect immune system and the similarities with the innate immune response of mammals will increase the attractiveness of using insects as in vivo models for studying host – pathogen interactions.
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Re-evaluation of insect melanogenesis research: Views from the dark side.
TL;DR: Insight is offered into the somewhat neglected areas of insect melanogenesis research, particularly in innate immunity, its role in beneficial insects such as pollinators, the functional versatility of phenoloxidases, and the limitations of common experimental approaches that may impede progress inadvertently.
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Chemical Reactivities of ortho-Quinones Produced in Living Organisms: Fate of Quinonoid Products Formed by Tyrosinase and Phenoloxidase Action on Phenols and Catechols.
TL;DR: The reactivities of o-quinones thus generated are responsible for oxidative browning of plant products, sclerotization of insect cuticle, defense reaction in arthropods, tunichrome biochemistry in tunicates, production of mussel glue, and most importantly melanin biosynthesis in all organisms.
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Toward Understanding the Repeated Occurrence of Associations between Melanin-Based Coloration and Multiple Phenotypes
TL;DR: This work proposes to approach the question of melanin-phenotype associations from the perspective of convergent and parallel evolution to clarify to what extent different species have evolved the same associations owing to a shared genetic basis and being subjected to similar selective pressures.
References
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Melanin Pigmentation in Mammalian Skin and Its Hormonal Regulation
TL;DR: Melanogenesis is a highly structured system, active since early embryogenesis and capable of superselective functional regulation that may reach down to the cellular level represented by single melanocytes, and its significance extends beyond the mere assignment of a color trait.
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Role of the prophenoloxidase-activating system in invertebrate immunity.
Kenneth Söderhäll,Lage Cerenius +1 more
TL;DR: It is proposed to be a non-self recognition system because conversion of prophenoloxidase to active enzyme can be brought about by minuscule amounts of molecules such as lipopolysaccharide, peptidoglycan and beta-1, 3-glucans from micro-organisms.
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Enzymatic control of pigmentation in mammals.
TL;DR: Future research should provide a greater understanding of the enzymatic interactions, processing, and tissue specificity that are important to pigmentation in mammals.
Journal ArticleDOI
Genome-wide analysis of the Drosophila immune response by using oligonucleotide microarrays.
TL;DR: To identify new Drosophila genes involved in the immune response, monitoring the gene expression profile of adult flies in response to microbial infection by using high-density oligonucleotide microarrays encompassing nearly the full Drosophile genome found a large number of genes with unknown function that may be involved in control and execution of theimmune response.
Book
Melanins and melanogenesis
TL;DR: An introduction to melanin research melanin producing cells tyrosinase natural and synthetic melanins eumelanins neuromelanin pheomelAnins and trichochromes pigment cell metabolism - enzymatic and chemical control.
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