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Digestive proteinases of the larger black flour beetle, Cynaeus angustus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

B. Oppert ,
P. Walters  and
M. Zuercher
B. Oppert*
Affiliation:
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Grain Marketing and Production Research Center, 1515 College Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA
P. Walters
Affiliation:
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Grain Marketing and Production Research Center, 1515 College Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA
M. Zuercher
Affiliation:
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Grain Marketing and Production Research Center, 1515 College Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA
*
*Fax: 785 537 5584 E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Digestion in the larger black flour beetle, Cynaeus angustus (LeConte), was studied to identify new control methods for this pest of stored grains and grain products. The physiological pH of the larval gut, as measured with extracts in water, was approximately 6.1, and the pH for optimal hydrolysis of casein by gut extracts was 6.2 when buffers were reducing. However, under non-reducing conditions, hydrolysis of casein and synthetic serine proteinase substrates was optimal in alkaline buffer. Three major proteinase activities were observed in zymograms using casein or gelatin. Caseinolytic activity of C. angustus gut extracts was inhibited by inhibitors that target aspartic and serine proteinase classes, with minor inhibition by a cysteine proteinase inhibitor. In particular, soybean trypsin and trypsin/chymotrypsin inhibitors were most effective in reducing the in vitro caseinolytic activity of gut extracts. Based on these data, further studies are suggested on the effects of dietary soybean inhibitors of serine proteinases, singly and in combination with aspartic and cysteine proteinase inhibitors, on C. angustus larvae. Results from these studies can be used to develop new control strategies to prevent damage to grains and stored products by C. angustus and similar coleopteran pests.

Keywords

Cynaeus angustusdigestive proteinasescontrolstored products
Type
Review Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 96 , Issue 2 , April 2006 , pp. 167 - 172
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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