THE ALIMENTARY TRACK OF GLASSY-WINGED SHARPSHOOTER AS A TARGET FOR CONTROL OF PIERCES DISEASE, AND DEVELOPMENT OF MIMETIC INSECTICIDAL PEPTIDES FOR GLASSY-WINGED SHARPSHOOTER CONTROL

• Author(s): Federici, Brian;
• Abstract: Transgenic insecticidal crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins have been successfully developed to control major chewing insect pests of agriculture, such as caterpillars and beetles. The same Bt toxin technology also has been used with Bacillus sphaericus for the control of mosquito species such as Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus, important vectors of human diseases. However, this transgenic technology has not yet been applied to economically important xylem-feeding sucking insect pests such as the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca coagulata (GWSS). Our goal is to use a genomics approach to develop novel, highly specific mimetic insecticidal proteins derived from the variable binding domains of immunoglobulin molecules. Mimetic peptides mimic the normal substrates of key components of essential processes to block the activities of these proteins. Our research is targeting the exposed active domains of transport proteins on the surface of the GWSS midgut microvillar membrane and enzymes found in GWSS saliva. Degenerate PCR amplification of genes characterized in other insect species encoding proteins involved in gut transport and saliva activity and screening a cDNA microarray to identify novel gut and saliva protein encoding genes are the approaches being used to identify GWSS target proteins. Due to the target specificity, mimetic peptide technology can provide an environmentally sound approach to the control of vasculature feeding insect pests and could thereby provide a means of controlling Pierces disease and crop losses due to GWSS feeding.
• Publication Date: Dec 2004
• Journal: 2004 Pierce's Disease Research Symposium