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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #430426
Research Project: Developing Biotechnologies to Improve Pest and Pathogen Resistance, Yield, and Quality in Sugarbeet

Location: Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory

Title: Deep learning analysis of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp vulgaris) protease inhibitors interacting with identified trypsins from its primary pathogen, the sugar beet root maggot Tetanops myopaeformis

Author
item RAHIM, SIDRA - Towson University
item LEE, YERANG - Towson University
item ALKHAROUF, NADIM - Towson University
item Chu, Chenggen
item Klink, Vincent

Submitted to: Data in Brief
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/1/2026
Publication Date: 4/7/2026
Citation: Rahim, S.S., Lee, Y., Alkharouf, N.W., Chu, C.N., Klink, V.P. 2026. Deep learning analysis of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp vulgaris) protease inhibitors interacting with identified trypsins from its primary pathogen, the sugar beet root maggot Tetanops myopaeformis. Data in Brief. 66. Article e112748. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2026.112748.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2026.112748

Interpretive Summary: Sugar beet is one of the world’s two major sources of raw sugar, worth about $1 billion annually in the United States and $4.6 billion globally. The sugar beet root maggot is the most destructive pest of this crop in North America, with infestations capable of eliminating yields. While some sugar beet lines show tolerance, no fully resistant commercially grown varieties exist. A resistance gene in sugar beet suggests a defense mechanism that makes the plant unpalatable to the maggot, but insects often evolve counteracting genes, and their rapid reproduction can erode plant defenses. In this study, the root maggot genome was examined to identify genes that might counter sugar beet defenses, and three candidate genes were found. Computer simulations tested how their proteins interact with beet defense proteins and showed weak binding, suggesting limited inhibition. Breeders, geneticists, and molecular biologists can combine knowledge of this sugar beet defense gene with other resistance mechanisms to develop varieties that are more resilient to root maggot attack, helping farmers reduce crop losses.

Technical Abstract: Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris (sugar beet) is one of two plants globally from which sugar is widely produced, accounting for 55% of U.S. sugar $1B (U.S.) and 35% of global raw sugar $4.6B), annually. Its top pathogen, Tetanops myopaeformis, is capable of causing total crop failure, mak ing its study of utmost urgency. A B. vulgaris protease inhibitor, BvSTI (DV501688), one of 22 of its Kunitz trypsin inhibitors (KTIs) that target trypsin (Trp), is expressed during resistance to T. myopaeformis infection. The T. myopaeformis genome made BLASTp searches possible using the Trp protein XP_014094233 from the dipteran Bactrocera oleae, identifying 9 T myopaeformis Trps then used in Trp docking and cleavage studies. Trp docking analyses using the T. myopaeformis and Trp cleavage studies were done to determine the extent the B. vulgaris resistance architecture could be susceptible to Trp cleavage. KTI protein homologs then were identified in the model agricultural crop Glycine max (soybean) which undergoes infection by the root pathogen Heterodera glycines (soybean cyst nematode) that is used to better understand the B. vulgaris -T. myopaeformis pathosystem. The predicted interactions between G. max KTIs and H. glycines Trps are presented, including GmKTI20, and GmKTI30 that suppress parasitism by > 80%.