What butterfly may someday treat cancer?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

November 6, 2002

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White is a color that generally does not work in favor of an animal. It is readily seen at great distances by predators. But for the European cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapae Linnaeus) white serves as a warning.

Plants in the Brassicaceae (mustard family) are the usual hosts for the larvae of the cabbage white butterflies. Cabbage, cauliflower, radishes, and other garden and wild 'brassicas' manufacture glucosinolates (mustard glycosides) and their associated isothiocyanates, the chemicals which impart to the family its characteristic tastes. Cabbage butterfly caterpillars ingest and sequester these chemicals.

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The larvae start life pale yellow with fine hairs (setae) covering the body. As the caterpillars age, they become green and the setae exude the mustard glycosides. The caterpillars become more difficult for a predator to find and they rest along side a leaf vein as if part of the plant. The glycoside-covered setae keep all but the most persistent predators away.

If the predator attacks, the caterpillars regurgitate concentrated glucosinolates on them. An eaten caterpillar irritates the mouth, esophagus, and stomach of the predator. Most vertebrates find the glucosinolates irritating and never bother the butterflies or their larvae again.

The pupal (chrysalis) stage of this common butterfly is protected by an interesting toxin, pierisin. Pierisin is a cytotoxin; it causes cells to die by apoptosis, the fragmentation of the nuclear DNA. All cells are programmed to die and be replaced except for cancer cells.

The National Cancer Center Research Institute in conjunction with the Osaka City University Medical School experimented with pierisin. Takuo Kono, Masahiko Watanabe, et al found that pierisin was effective in causing nine forms of cancer cells to commit suicide. ("Cytotoxic activity of pierisin, from the cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae, in various human cancer cell lines", Cancer Letters, Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. 1999)

The University of Florida, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences has a page of Florida butterflies and their caterpillars. To view the page, click on the link:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_IN032

The cabbage butterfly and its larval stage are Plates 7 and 8. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge the images.

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