Pest Management Science (2012) 68, 49-59

Laura A. Jeffers, Hongyan Shen, Sayed Khalil, Brooke W. Bissinger, Alan Brandt, T. Brent Gunnoe and R. Michael Roe (2012)
Enhanced activity of an insecticidal protein, trypsin modulating oostatic factor (TMOF), through conjugation with aliphatic polyethylene glycol
Pest Management Science 68 (1), 49-59
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Trypsin modulating oostatic factor (TMOF), a decapeptide (Tyr-Asp-Pro-Ala-Pro₆) isolated from the ovaries of the adult yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, regulates trypsin biosynthesis. TMOF per os is insecticidal to larval mosquitoes and a good model for the development of technologies to enhance protein insecticide activity by reduced catabolism and/or enhanced delivery to the target.
RESULTS: TFA-TMOF-K (TFA = trifluoro acetyl) allowed the specific conjugation of monodispersed, aliphatic polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the amino group of lysine-producing TMOF-K-methyl(ethyleneglycol)₇-O-propionyl (TMOF-K-PEG₇P). The addition of lysine to TMOF reduced its per os larval mosquitocidal activity relative to the parent TMOF, but conjugation of TMOF-K with methyl(ethyleneglycol)₇-O-propionyl increased its toxicity 5.8- and 10.1-fold above that of TMOF and TMOF-K for Ae. aegypti. Enhanced insecticidal activity was also found for larval Ae. albopictus and for neonates of Heliothis virescens and Helicoverpa zea. Only TMOF-K was found by MS/MS in the hemolymph for H. virescens fed on TMOF-K-PEG₇P. No TMOF, TMOF-K or PEGylated TMOF-K was detected in the hemolymph after topical applications.
CONCLUSIONS: This research suggests that aliphatic PEG polymers can be used as a new method for increasing the activity of insecticidal proteins.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): R. Michael Roe

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
control - general

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Aedes aegypti
	Helicoverpa zea
	Heliothis virescens