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Effect of pouterin, a protein from Pouteria torta (Sapotaceae) seeds, on the development of Anagasta kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

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Abstract

Larvae of the Mediterranean flour moth (Anagasta kuehniella Zeller) cause major losses in stored grains throughout the world. In this study pouterin, a lectin-like protein isolated from Pouteria torta (Mart.) Radlk. seeds, was tested for activity against A. kuehniella larvae. Pouterin did not produce significant effects on survival; however, at c. 1% w/w concentration in artificial diet, it produced a 71.4% reduction in average weight of the larvae. A dietary utilisation assay showed a reduction in efficiency of conversion of ingested food, efficiency of conversion of digested food and approximate digestibility as well as an increase in metabolic cost. Pouterin increased the level of trypsin in the midgut and faeces of larvae. We conclude that pouterin possesses an insecticidal effect against A. kuehniella larvae and this effect may be mediated by the binding of pouterin to chitin components of the peritrophic membrane, or glycosylated proteins in the insect midgut.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Bioquímica/IB, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, PO Box 6109, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil

    Ana Paula A. de Boleti & Maria Lígia R. Macedo

  2. Laboratório de Purificação de Proteínas e Suas Funções Biológicas, Depto de Tecnología de Alimentos e Saúde Pública, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, CP 549, CEP 79070-900, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil

    Carlos Eduardo G. Kubo & Maria Lígia R. Macedo

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  1. Ana Paula A. de Boleti
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  2. Carlos Eduardo G. Kubo
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  3. Maria Lígia R. Macedo
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Correspondence to Ana Paula A. de Boleti.

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de Boleti, A.P.A., Kubo, C.E.G. & Macedo, M.L.R. Effect of pouterin, a protein from Pouteria torta (Sapotaceae) seeds, on the development of Anagasta kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Int J Trop Insect Sci 29, 24–30 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758409299590

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