Inhibition of chitin synthesis in an insect cell‐line

Abstract
An epithelial cell‐line from Chironomus tentans, able to synthesise chitin in considerable amounts, was used as a test system to study the influence of tunicamycin (I20=750 nM), the benzoylphenylurea derivative SIR 8514 (I50=100 nM), oligomycin (I50=200 nM), avermectin (I50=5 μM) and nikkomycin Z (I50,=50 μM) on the rate of glucosamine incorporation into chitin. Chitin synthesis was diminished by application of 20‐hydroxyecdysone.
Keywords