Specific insulin-like peptide regulates how beetle 'weapons' grow

(Tokyo Metropolitan University) A scientist from Tokyo Metropolitan University and coworkers have discovered that a specific insulin-like peptide called ILP2 regulates the size of 'weapons' in Gnatocerus cornutus beetles in different nutritional environments. They found diminished mandible size when expression of the peptide was suppressed, and that it was specifically expressed in the 'fat body', where beetles store nutrients. This has important implications for understanding how striking growt...