01985naa a2200265 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001910000180006024501110007826000090018952012290019865000130142765000230144065000090146365300290147270000160150170000220151770000230153970000220156270000160158470000250160070000200162570000250164577300490167011855582022-05-06       2004    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d1 aFRANCO, O. L.  aEffects of soybean Kunitz inhibitor on the cotton boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis).h[electronic resource]  c2004  aThe cotton boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis, is an economically important pest of cotton in tropical and subtropical areas of several countries in the Americas, causing severe losses due to their damage in cotton floral buds. Enzymatic assays using gut extracts from larval and adult boll weevil have demonstrated the presence of digestive serine proteinase-like activities. Furthermore, in vitro assays showed that soybean Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (SKTI) was able to inhibit these enzymes. Previously, in vivo effects of black-eyed pea trypsin chymotrypsin inhibitor (BTCI) have been demonstrated towards the boll weevil pest. Here, when neonate larvae were reared on an artificial diet containing SKTI at three different concentrations, a reduction of larval weight of up to 64% was observed for highest SKTI concentration 500 M. The presence of SKTI caused an increase in mortality and severe deformities of larvae, pupae and adult insects. This work therefore represents the first observation of a Kunitz trypsin inhibitor active in vivo and in vitro against A. grandis. Bioassays suggested that SKTI could be used as a tool in engineering crop plants, which might exhibit increased resistance against cotton boll weevil.  aAlgodão  aAnthonomus Grandis  aSoja  aKunitz trypsin inhibitor1 aDIAS, S. C.1 aMAGALHÃES, C. P.1 aMONTEIRO, A. C. S.1 aBLOCH JÚNIOR, C.1 aMELO, F. R.1 aOLIVEIRA-NETO, O. B.1 aMONNERAT, R. G.1 aGROSSI-de-SÁ, M. F.  tPhytochemistrygv. 65, n. 1, p. 81-89, 2004.