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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » Crop Production and Pest Control Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #168193
Title: MOLECULAR CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A MAJOR DIGESTIVE SERINE PROTEASE FROM THE FIRST LARVAL INSTAR OF HESSIAN FLY

Author
item MITTAPALLI, OMPRAKASH - PURDUE UNIVERSITY
item Shukle, Richard

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting North Central Branch
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2004
Publication Date: 3/29/2004
Citation: Mittapalli, O. and Shukle, R.H. 2004. Molecular cloning and characterization of a major digestive serine protease from the first larval instar of Hessian fly. North Central Branch Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Kansas City, MO.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say) is a destructive pest of wheat and poses a serious concern in several wheat growing regions of the world including the United States. Resistant genes deployed into wheat are the most effective method of control. However, due to extensive use of resistant cultivars, the pest has evolved biotypically to overcome the resistance offered by formally resistant wheat. In the present study, full-length cDNAs encoding digestive serine proteases have been cloned and characterized. The deduced amino acid sequences for M. destructor proteases revealed 52-66% similarity with chymotrypsin-like digestive proteases and 63-74% with trypsin-like digestive proteases from Anopheles gambiae, Aedes aegypti and Drosophila melanogaster. These results should allow us to test compensation between the proteases via RNA interference and the efficacy of potential protease inhibitors to develop M. destructor resistant wheat through genetic engineering and other contemporary approaches.