Abstract
1. Vicilin (7S storage protein) from Callosobruchus maculatus-resistant (IT81D-1045) Vigna unguiculata (cowpea) seeds was not digested by pepsin or papain, but was hydrolyzed by a mixture of both enzymes. 2. Vicilin from C. maculatus-susceptible (Pitiuba) cowpea seeds was not digested by pepsin but was hydrolyzed by papain and by a mixture of papain and pepsin. 3. Time-course analysis of the hydrolysis of vicilin from cowpea seeds by crude extracts and isolated cysteine and aspartic acid proteinases from C. maculatus midguts suggests that the storage proteins from resistant seeds (IT81D-1032 and IT81D-1045) are more refractory to digestion than those from susceptible varieties [CE-11 and CE-31 (Pitiuba)]. 4. This difference in digestion rate could explain, at least in part, our recent suggestion that the resistance to C. maculatus of cowpea seeds bred from the resistant TVu 2027 variety is due to vicilin.
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