Samuels R I, Paterson I C
Microbial Pathogenicity Group, School of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, U.K.
Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 1995 Apr;110(4):661-9. doi: 10.1016/0305-0491(94)00205-9.
Insects degrade their own cuticle during moulting, a process which is catalysed by a complex mixture of enzymes. Entomopathogenic fungi infect the insect host by penetration of the cuticle, utilizing enzymatic and/or physical mechanisms. Protein is a major component of insect cuticle and a major recyclable resource for the insect and, therefore, represents a significant barrier to the invading fungus. To this end, both insects and entomopathogenic fungi produce a variety of cuticle degrading proteases. The aim of this paper is to review these proteases and to highlight their similarities, with particular reference to the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, and the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae.
昆虫在蜕皮过程中会降解自身的表皮，这一过程由多种酶的复杂混合物催化。昆虫病原真菌通过穿透表皮感染昆虫宿主，利用酶促和/或物理机制。蛋白质是昆虫表皮的主要成分，也是昆虫的主要可回收资源，因此是入侵真菌的一个重要障碍。为此，昆虫和昆虫病原真菌都会产生多种降解表皮的蛋白酶。本文的目的是综述这些蛋白酶，并突出它们的相似之处，特别提及烟草天蛾（Manduca sexta）和昆虫病原真菌绿僵菌（Metarhizium anisopliae）。
