Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2005 Apr;21(4):192-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2005.02.007.

Melanization immune responses in mosquito vectors

Bruce M Christensen  1 , Jianyong Li, Cheng-Chen Chen, Anthony J Nappi
Affiliations
Review

Melanization immune responses in mosquito vectors

Bruce M Christensen et al. Trends Parasitol. 2005 Apr.

Abstract

The production and deposition of melanin pigments on invading pathogens and parasites represents a unique, innate immune response in the phylum Arthropoda. This immune response has started to receive considerable attention because of the potential to exploit this mechanism to control mosquito-borne diseases. In this article, we summarize knowledge about this complex biochemistry, the use of melanin biosynthesis in diverse physiological processes and the gaps in knowledge that must be addressed if this immune process is to be manipulated in genetic-based control strategies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources