Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A cicada emerges from its nymphal exoskeleton; the shed exoskeleton is mostly modified chitin but the wings and much of the adult body are still unsclerotized chitin at this stage. Chitin (C 8 H 13 O 5 N) n (/ ˈ k aɪ t ɪ n / KY-tin) is a long-chain polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, an amide derivative of glucose.
GlcNAc is the monomeric unit of the polymer chitin, which forms the exoskeletons of arthropods like insects and crustaceans. It is the main component of the radulas of mollusks, the beaks of cephalopods, and a major component of the cell walls of most fungi. Polymerized with glucuronic acid, it forms hyaluronan.
Arthropod cuticle is a biological composite material, consisting of two main portions: fibrous chains of alpha-chitin within a matrix of silk-like and globular proteins, of which the best-known is the rubbery protein called resilin. The relative abundance of these two main components varies from approximately 50/50 to 80/20 chitin protein, with ...
Like cellulose, chitin is an abundant biopolymer that is relatively resistant to degradation. [17] Many mammals can digest chitin and the specific chitinase levels in vertebrate species are adapted to their feeding behaviours. [18] Certain fish are able to digest chitin. [19] Chitinases have been isolated from the stomachs of mammals, including ...
Chytridiomycota are a division of zoosporic organisms in the kingdom Fungi, informally known as chytrids.The name is derived from the Ancient Greek χυτρίδιον (khutrídion), meaning "little pot", describing the structure containing unreleased zoospores.
A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of most animals.There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is a rigid outer shell that holds up an organism's shape; the endoskeleton, a rigid internal frame to which the organs and soft tissues attach; and the hydroskeleton, a flexible internal structure supported by the hydrostatic pressure of body fluids.
Chitin Synthase is manufactured in the rough endoplasmic reticulum of fungi as the inactive form, zymogen. The zymogen is then packaged into chitosomes in the golgi apparatus. Chitosomes bring the zymogen to the hyphal tip of a mold or yeast cell membrane. Chitin synthase is placed into the interior side of the cell membrane and then activated.
[8] [12] Their bodies are covered by a cuticle (outer covering) that does not contain cells but is secreted by cells in the skin underneath, is made of tough but flexible collagen [8] and does not molt [23] – on the other hand arthropods' cuticles are made of the more rigid α-chitin, [8] [24] and molt until the arthropods reach their full ...