Data from: Double cuticle barrier in two global pests, the whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum and the bedbug Cimex lectularius

The integument protects the organism against penetration of xenobiotics and water that would potentially interfere with homeostasis. In insects that play key roles in a variety of agricultural and ecological habitats, this inward barrier has barely been investigated. In order to advance knowledge in this field, we studied integumental barrier (cuticle) permeability in the two global pests Trialeurodes vaporariorum (greenhouse whitefly) and Cimex lectularius (bedbug), applying a simple dye-penetration assay. In agreement with our recent findings in Drosophila melanogaster, we show that the surface of these insects is regionalised. We also show that, in contrast to the single barrier in D. melanogaster, two barriers with distinct temperature-sensitive and lipid-based physico-chemical material properties act in parallel to protect these insects against penetration of hydrophilic molecules. These findings imply the existence of unexplored mechanisms by which the cuticle acts as a protective coat against the penetration of water and xenobiotics, including pollutants and insecticides.

体壁可保护生物体免受外源性物质（xenobiotics）与水分的侵入，此类物质若侵入则可能干扰机体的内稳态（homeostasis）。在广泛参与各类农业与生态生境功能的昆虫类群中，这类向内防御屏障鲜有研究。
为推进该领域的研究进展，我们采用简易染料渗透试验，对两种全球性害虫——温室白粉虱（Trialeurodes vaporariorum）与温带臭虫（Cimex lectularius）的体壁屏障（integumental barrier，即昆虫表皮层cuticle）通透性展开了研究。
结合我们此前在黑腹果蝇（Drosophila melanogaster）中的研究发现，本研究证实这类昆虫的体表存在区域化特征。同时我们还发现，与仅拥有单一屏障的黑腹果蝇不同，这两种害虫存在两道并行发挥作用的屏障，二者分别具备独特的温度敏感特性与脂质基物理化学材料属性，可保护昆虫免受亲水分子（hydrophilic molecules）的侵入。
本研究结果表明，表皮层作为抵御包括污染物与杀虫剂在内的水分及外源性物质侵入的保护性外壳，其背后存在尚未被探明的作用机制。