Science Daily February 25, 2019
The pygidial glands in Carabid beetles manufacture, store and propel toxic chemicals to ward off insect, amphibian and even small mammalian predators. A team of researchers in the US (Pennsylvania State University, University of New Hampshire) found that the tissues in the glandular system transporting the defensive chemicals to be rich in soft, rubbery resilin, a compound found in many insects and other arthropods. Resilin is a compound that is likely to be used in future bioengineering and biomedical applications due to its unusual properties. It has many similarities with elastin, a protein found in human bodies, and could be used to design new tissue for people with degenerative diseases or injuries…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
The glandular spheres (yellow) are where defensive chemicals are synthesized, which are subsequently transported to a reservoir chamber via a resilin-rich collecting duct (blue). Credit: Adam Rork / Penn State