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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Subtropical Insects and Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #160787
Title: ELONGATIN FACTOR- 1 ALPHA, EXPRESSED IN THE GLASSY-WINGED SHARPSHOOTER (HEMIPTERA: CICADELLIDAE: HOMALODISCA COAGULATA)

Author
item Hunter, Wayne
item Dang, Phat

Submitted to: Genbank
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/10/2004
Publication Date: 3/31/2004
Citation: Hunter, W.B., Dang, P.M. 2004. Elongatin Factor- 1 alpha, expressed in the glassy-winged sharpshooter (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Homalodisca coagulata). Genbank.

Interpretive Summary: The glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca coagulata, is the primary cause for the spread of Pierce's Disease of grapes. The disease agent, a bacterium, attaches to the sharpshooters mouth and is transmitted to other plants during feeding. New management practices to control the spread of these sharpshooters to reduce the impact of Pierce's Disease targets the insects' most basic cellular functions to disrupt sharpshooter development, and survival. Elongation Factor-1 alpha is thought to play a role in cell death, thus identification of this and other important genes and proteins within sharpshooters will permit the development of newer more powerful methods of insect management. These methods will also provide new methods of control of other insect pests and will further aid national efforts to develop and use environmentally friendly, cost effective management practices.

Technical Abstract: The glassy-winged sharpshooter, GWSS, Homalodisca coagulata, is the primary cause for the spread of Pierce's Disease of grapes. Identification of the complete gene, Elongation Factor -1 alpha, EF-1a,isolated from adult GWSS was determined using computational translation of the mRNA and the sequence comparisons of the nucleotide and amino acid sequences to other characterized EF-1a sequences in the NCBI database. EF-1a has been widely used in phylogenetic studies of many organisms since they are among the slowest evolving proteins known. The stasis of EF sequences emphasizes their importance in many different biological functions, being involved in translation they are commonly used to study cellular functions and may play a role in cellular transformation and apoptosis. New management practices to control the spread of GWSS to reduce the impact of Pierce's Disease targets the insects' most basic cellular functions to disrupt GWSS development, and survival. Identification of important genes and proteins within GWSS will permit the development of novel and powerful methods of insect management which will also have application in the control of other insect pests, and will aid national efforts to develop and promote the use of environmentally friendly, cost effective management practices.