Molecular structure of the peritrophic membrane (PM): Identification of potential PM target sites for insect control

Peritrophic membranes (PMs) are an invertebrate-unique structure that lines the digestive tract, playing important roles in facilitating food digestio n and providing protection to the gut epithelium The importance of PMs in i nsects has been recognized ever since its presence was identified 200 years ago. In the last 5 years, significant progress towards understanding the P M molecular structure and the mechanism for PM formation has been made. Rec ent studies an Type 1 PMs from lepidopteran larvae have suggested a model f or the PM molecular structure and formation. The important physiological fu nctions of the PM suggest that PMs can be a significant structural target f or insect control and the current understanding of the structure of lepidop teran larval PMs has provided us with potential opportunities for targeting the PM by various mechanisms. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.