Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Federal University of Alagoas, A. C. Simões Campus, (UFAL), Postal Code: 57072-900, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil.
Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Federal University of Alagoas, A. C. Simões Campus, (UFAL), Postal Code: 57072-900, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil.
Protein Expr Purif. 2024 Oct;222:106534. doi: 10.1016/j.pep.2024.106534. Epub 2024 Jun 17.
Tribolium castaneum, also known as the red flour beetle, is a polyphagous pest that seriously damages agricultural products, including stored and processed grains. Researchers have aimed to discover alternative pest control mechanisms that are less harmful to the ecosystem than those currently used. We conduct the purification and characterization of a protease inhibitor from C. plumieri seeds and an in vitro evaluation of its insecticidal potential against the insect pest T. castaneum. The trypsin inhibitor was isolated from C. plumieri seeds in a single-step DEAE-Sepharose column chromatography and had a molecular mass of 50 kDA. When analyzed for interaction with different proteolytic enzymes, the inhibitor exhibited specificity against trypsin and no activity against other serine proteases such as chymotrypsin and elastase-2. The isolated inhibitor was able to inhibit digestive enzymes of T. castaneum from extracts of the intestine of this insect. Therefore, we conclude that the new protease inhibitor, specific in tryptic inhibition, of protein nature from the seeds of C. plumieri was effective in inhibiting the digestive enzymes of T. castaneum and is a promising candidate in the ecological control of pests.
赤拟谷盗，又称红麴虫，是一种杂食性害虫，严重损害农产品，包括储存和加工的谷物。研究人员旨在发现替代的害虫防治机制，这些机制对生态系统的危害比目前使用的机制要小。我们从 C. plumieri 种子中纯化和表征一种蛋白酶抑制剂，并在体外评估其对昆虫害虫 T. castaneum 的杀虫潜力。该胰蛋白酶抑制剂从 C. plumieri 种子中通过一步 DEAE-Sepharose 柱层析进行分离，分子量为 50kDa。当分析与不同蛋白水解酶的相互作用时，抑制剂表现出对胰蛋白酶的特异性，而对其他丝氨酸蛋白酶如糜蛋白酶和弹性蛋白酶-2 没有活性。分离出的抑制剂能够抑制 T. castaneum 从该昆虫肠道提取物中的消化酶。因此，我们得出结论，C. plumieri 种子中具有蛋白性质的新型蛋白酶抑制剂，特异性抑制胰蛋白酶，可有效抑制 T. castaneum 的消化酶，是害虫生态控制的有前途的候选物。
