The Functions of Tyrosinase in Insects

Abstract

The enzyme tyrosinase probably occurs in both hemolymph and hemocytes and because of the open nature of circulation is widely distributed throughout other tissues. In insect metamorphosis its role is a structural one, wherein the enzyme aids in formation of cuticle and in deposition of melanic pigments. Recent work has tended to disprove the suggestion that tyrosinase functions as a terminal oxidase in respiration, but the possibility that it serves to increase respiration of damaged tissues remains, where it may have an additional function of detoxification. Tyrosinase cannot be considered separately from the organism as a whole. It is an intimate part of the entire complex of enzyme systems in the insect body.