Molecular cloning and structural characterization of Ecdysis Triggering Hormone from Choristoneura fumiferana.

At the end of each stadium, insects undergo a precisely orchestrated process known as ecdysis which results in the replacement of the old cuticle with a new one. This physiological event is necessary to accommodate growth in arthropods since they have a rigid chitinous exoskeleton. Ecdysis is initiated by the direct action of Ecdysis Triggering Hormones on the central nervous system.