Scale esterase : A pheromone-degrading enzyme from scales of silk mothAntheraea polyphemus

Body scales of the silk mothAntheraea polyphemus contain an esterase which can degrade the female sex pheromone of this species. This esterase, which appears to be stabilized to the scale cuticle, is present in both sexes, but is species specific. The enzyme may play a significant role in the behaviors associated with sex-pheromone attraction, helping to filter out stimulus noise by degrading adsorbed pheromone, thus preventing adsoptive body surfaces from becoming uncontrolled pheromone sources.