Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Hard Winter Wheat Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #166937
Title: MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF PROTEASE INHIBITORS FROM THE HESSIAN FLY (MAYETIOLA DESTRUCTOR)

Author
item MADDUR, ASHOKA - KSU - DEPT OF ENTOMOLOGY
item LIU, XUMING - KSU - DEPT OF ENTOMOLOGY
item Fellers, John
item Oppert, Brenda
item WILDE, GERALD - KSU - DEPT OF ENTOMOLOGY
item Chen, Ming-Shun

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2003
Publication Date: 11/2/2004
Citation: Maddur, A.A., Liu, X., Fellers, J.P., Oppert, B.S., Wilde, G.E., Chen, M. 2004. Molecular characterization of protease inhibitors from the hessian fly (mayetiola destructor). Entomological Society of America Proceedings.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say), is one of the major pests of wheat, which cause enormous economic loss. Several lines of evidence suggest that Hessian fly larvae inject saliva into host plants during feeding and cause severe stunting and plant death at seedling stage. To identify components injected into host plants by the Hessian fly, we adopted an EST approach to identify and characterize cDNAs and genes that encode proteins with a secretion signal peptide. BLAST nucleotide similarity searches indicated that two of the identified clones code for protease inhibitors. Northern blot data shows that the identified clones are expressed only at first instar stage, which is critical for the larvae to establish infestation. Southern analysis shows that these genes are present in multiple copies in the genome. Full-length cDNAs were expressed in E. coli system. Purified proteins exhibited inhibitory activity towards commercial serine proteases. Studies are underway to further characterize individual inhibitors biochemically.