Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR 4301, 45071 Orléans, France.
UFR Sciences et Techniques, Université d'Orléans, 45071 Orléans, France.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Oct 18;23(20):12480. doi: 10.3390/ijms232012480.
Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea) are among the most detrimental insects for agricultural plants, and their management is a great challenge in agronomical research. A new class of proteins, called Bacteriocyte-specific Cysteine-Rich (BCR) peptides, provides an alternative to chemical insecticides for pest control. BCRs were initially identified in the pea aphid . They are small disulfide bond-rich proteins expressed exclusively in aphid bacteriocytes, the insect cells that host intracellular symbiotic bacteria. Here, we show that one of the BCRs, BCR4, displays prominent insecticidal activity against the pea aphid, impairing insect survival and nymphal growth, providing evidence for its potential use as a new biopesticide. Our comparative genomics and phylogenetic analyses indicate that BCRs are restricted to the aphid lineage. The 3D structure of BCR4 reveals that this peptide belongs to an as-yet-unknown structural class of peptides and defines a new superfamily of defensins.
蚜虫（半翅目：蚜科）是对农业植物危害最大的昆虫之一，其管理是农业研究中的一大挑战。一类新的蛋白质，称为菌细胞特异性富含半胱氨酸（BCR）肽，为害虫防治提供了一种替代化学杀虫剂的方法。BCRs 最初在豌豆蚜中被发现。它们是小的富含二硫键的蛋白质，仅在蚜虫菌细胞中表达，蚜虫菌细胞是宿主体内共生细菌的昆虫细胞。在这里，我们表明，BCR 之一 BCR4 对豌豆蚜具有显著的杀虫活性，损害昆虫的生存和若虫生长，为其作为一种新的生物农药的潜在用途提供了证据。我们的比较基因组学和系统发育分析表明，BCRs 仅限于蚜虫谱系。BCR4 的 3D 结构表明，该肽属于一种尚未确定的肽结构类，并定义了一个新的防御素超家族。
