Specific cysteine protease inhibitors act as deterrents of Western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) in transgenic potato

N.S. Outchkourov, J. de Kogel, A. de Bruin, M. Abrahamson, M.A. Jongsma

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    43 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In this study, the effects of the accumulation of cysteine protease inhibitors on the food preferences of adult female western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), were investigated. Representative members of the cystatin and thyropin gene families (stefin A, cystatin C, kininogen domain 3 and equistatin) were expressed in potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Impala, Kondor and Line V plants. In choice assays, a strong time- and concentration-dependent deterrence from plants expressing stefin A and equistatin was observed. Cystatin C and kininogen domain 3 were not found to be active. All tested inhibitors were equally or more active than stefin A at inhibiting the proteolytic activity of thrips, but, in contrast with stefin A, they were all expressed in potato as partially degraded proteins. The resistance of cysteine protease inhibitors against degradation in planta by endogenous plant proteases may therefore be relevant in explaining the observed differences in the deterrence of thrips. The results demonstrate that, when given a choice, western flower thrips will select plants with low levels of certain cysteine protease inhibitors. The novel implications of the defensive role of plant cysteine protease inhibitors as both deterrents and antimetabolic proteins are discussed
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)439-448
    JournalPlant Biotechnology Journal
    Volume2
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2004

    Keywords

    • pichia-pastoris
    • nicotiana-attenuata
    • escherichia-coli
    • oostatic factor
    • cystatin-c
    • expression
    • resistance
    • proteinases
    • equistatin
    • cloning

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