CHAPTER 15: Structure and Function of Stress-Responsive Peptides in Insects

Similar to innate immunity in vertebrates, insects rely on a variety of both humoral and cellular responses to defend them from pathogen invasion. Recently, a family of peptides has been identified in many insects including mosquitoes, that are activated or released during stress conditions, such as wounding, infection, ligation, crowdedness, and heat or cold shock. These peptides, expressed in the brain, midgut, fat body, and hemocytes play an important role in immunity and development of insects. These peptides are known as stress-response peptides. This chapter describes the structure, function, and characteristics concerning their known interactions with receptors.