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Science 21 August 1981:
Vol. 213. no. 4510, pp. 905 - 907
DOI: 10.1126/science.213.4510.905
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Articles

Pesticides: Insecticides and Fungicides Are Chitin Synthesis Inhibitors

TERRANCE LEIGHTON 1, EDWIN MARKS 2, and FRANCES LEIGHTON 3

1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Berkeley 94720
2 Metabolism and Radiation Research Laboratory, SEA-USDA, Fargo, North Dakota 58102
3 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California

Several important groups of fungicides and insecticides are specific inhibitors of chitin synthesis in a Phycomyces enzyme system and in insect organ cultures. The recently discovered benzoylphenylurea insecticides, which prevent chitin synthesis in insect tissues, are apparently not direct-acting chitin synthetase inhibitors. These insecticides may prevent insect chitin synthesis by interfering with the proteolytic activation of the chitin synthetase zymogen.

Submitted on August 29, 1980
Revised on December 15, 1980


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
New applications of microbial products.
A. Demain (1983)
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