Abstract
The Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella, is one of the most damaging pests of stored products. We investigated the insecticidal properties of ApKTI, a Kunitz trypsin inhibitor from Adenanthera pavonina seeds, against P. interpunctella larvae through bioassays with artificial diet. ApKTI-fed larvae showed reduction of up to 88% on larval weight and 75% in survival. Trypsin enzymes extracted from P. interpunctella larvae were inhibited by ApKTI, which also demonstrated capacity to bind to chitin. Kinetic studies revealed a non-competitive inhibition mechanism of ApKTI for trypsin, which were further corroborated by molecular docking studies. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that ApKTI exhibits a hydrophobic pocket near the reactive site loop probably involved in chitin interactions. Taken together, these data suggested that the insecticidal activity of ApKTI for P. interpunctella larvae involves a dual and promiscuous mechanisms biding to two completely different targets. Both processes might impair the P. interpunctella larval digestive process, leading to larvae death before reaching the pupal stage. Further studies are encouraged using ApKTI as a biotechnological tool to control insect pests in field conditions.
Highlights
Insect pests are responsible for immense losses in the field and storage conditions
We carried out bioassays to investigate the potential of ApKTI as insecticide agent
Validation procedures and tridimensional fold checking, we investigated the molecular mechanism of ApKTI binding to GlcNAc, a monosaccharide that constitutes the chitin polymer
Summary
Insect pests are responsible for immense losses in the field and storage conditions. Billions of dollars are spent in crop protection, mainly with highly toxic insecticides [1]. As consequence of the massive use of chemical insecticides, the reduction of natural biodiversity near crops and the selection of resistant insect pest have been reported [2]. The overwhelming resistance of insects against chemical pesticides encourages the investments on alternative control strategies, including pyramiding of genes with insecticidal activity [1,3,4]. Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is a widely distributed insect pest from temperate and tropical areas [3]. P. interpunctella prompts significant economic impacts on stored foods, such as cereals, legumes, dried fruits, and nuts [5]
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