Comparative Proteomics Studies of Insect Cuticle by Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Application of a Novel Proteomics Approach to the Pea Aphid Cuticular Proteins

International audienceThe exoskeleton of arthropods, called cuticle, is a biological composite material consisting principally of N-acetylglucosamine polymer embedded in cuticular proteins (CPs). The CPs have been studied and characterized by mass spectrometry in several cuticular structures and in many arthropods. Such analyses were usually carried out by protein extraction using SDS detergent followed by electrophoresis, allowing detection and identification of a large number of CPs. To build a repertoire of cuticular structures from Bombyx mori, Apis mellifer