insects Review Fat Body—Multifunctional Insect Tissue Patrycja Skowronek *, Łukasz Wójcik and Aneta Strachecka Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland;
[email protected] (Ł.W.);
[email protected] (A.S.) * Correspondence:
[email protected] Simple Summary: Efficient and proper functioning of processes within living organisms play key roles in times of climate change and strong human pressure. In insects, the most abundant group of organisms, many important changes occur within their tissues, including the fat body, which plays a key role in the development of insects. Fat body cells undergo numerous metabolic changes in basic energy compounds (i.e., lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins), enabling them to move and nourish themselves. In addition to metabolism, the fat body is involved in the development of insects by determining the time an individual becomes an adult, and creates humoral immunity via the synthesis of bactericidal proteins and polypeptides. As an important tissue that integrates all signals from the body, the processes taking place in the fat body have an impact on the functioning of the entire body. Abstract: The biodiversity of useful organisms, e.g., insects, decreases due to many environmental factors and increasing anthropopressure. Multifunctional tissues, such as the fat body, are key ele- ments in the proper functioning of invertebrate organisms and resistance factors. The fat body is the center of metabolism, integrating signals, controlling molting and metamorphosis, and synthesizing hormones that control the functioning of the whole body and the synthesis of immune system Citation: Skowronek, P.; Wójcik, Ł.; proteins.