For example, in the broadly distributed butterfly Lycaena tityrus, local adaptation drives the intensity of the immune response, as populations at high elevation show stronger
melanization immune response at colder temperatures, whereas populations at low elevations show stronger
melanization response at warmer temperatures (Karl, Hoffmann, & Fischer, 2010).
Cell-mediated immunity in arthropods: hematopoiesis, coagulation,
melanization, and opsonization.
The infection results in tissue
melanization and is, therefore, generally referred to as shrimp black gill (sBG).
While Drosophila hematopoiesis results in the development of 3 unique cell types, crystal cells that specifically express PPO1, the protein responsible for
melanization, have demonstrated a protective effect against infection.
The biochemical 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) acts in several aspects of insect biology including circadian rhythms, neurotransmission, tanning of cuticle, immunity, sclerotization,
melanization, and wound repair in insects (Birman et al.
Gunde-Cimerman, "Hypersaline conditions induce changes in cell-wall
melanization and colony structure in a halophilic and a xerophilic black yeast species of the genus Trimmatostroma," Mycological Research, vol.
Wrzesniok, "Effect of tetracycline and UV radiation on
melanization and antioxidant status of melanocytes," Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, vol.
Melanization and morphological effects on antifungal susceptibility of Penicillium marneffei.