Intracellular ABC transporters enable leaf beetle larvae to accumulate defensive precursors when feeding
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, have discovered the decisive biological stimulator for the accumulation of defensive substances in leaf beetle larvae used by the insects to fend off predators: ABC transport proteins, which are found in large quantities in glandular cells of the larvae. The poplar leaf beetle Chrysomela populi is able to transport salicin, which is found in its leafy diet and is absorbed in its midgut, via several cell membranes into its defensive glands, where the substance is converted into the defensive compound salicyl aldehyde. The research results not only shed light on the molecular evolution of the defensive system in leaf beetle larvae but also help to elucidate cell biological processes of sequestration in animal tissues.