Insects are often regarded as the most successful group of animals in the terrestrial
environment. Their success can be represented by their huge biomass and large impact on …

Abstract Termites (Blattodea, Termitoidea, or Isoptera) constitute one of the major lineages
of eusocial insects. In termite societies, multiple types of functional individuals, that is …

In the insect cuticle, structural proteins (CPs) and the polysaccharide chitin are the major
components. It has been hypothesized that CPs are cross-linked to other CPs and possibly …

Juvenile hormone (JH) is a central regulator of insect post-embryonic development and life
history traits. The foundation of termites' sociality is their unravelled developmental plasticity …

Abstract Background Phenol oxidases (POs) catalyze the oxidation of dopa and dopamine
to melanin, which is crucial for cuticle formation and innate immune maintenance in insects …

Termite castes express specialized phenotypes for their own tasks and are a good example
of insect polyphenism. To understand the comprehensive gene expression profiles during …

Abstract The Methoprene-tolerant (Met) protein has been established as a juvenile hormone
(JH) receptor. Knockdown of the Met gene caused precocious metamorphosis and …

A working knowledge of the proximate factors intrinsic to sterile caste differentiation is
necessary to understand the evolution of eusocial insects. Genomic and transcriptomic …

Multicopper oxidase (MCO) genes comprise multigene families in bacteria, fungi, plants and
animals. Two families of MCO genes, MCO1 (laccase1) and MCO2 (laccase2), are …

In social insects, all castes have characteristic phenotypes suitable for their own tasks and to
engage in social behavior. The acquisition of caste-specific phenotypes was a key event in …