Drugs from bugs: the use of insects as a valuable source of transgenes with potential in modern plant protection strategies

Vilcinskas, Andreas; Gross, Jürgen

doi:10.1007/s10340-005-0114-5

Cited by 22 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 55 publications

(55 reference statements)

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“…Little is known about the antifungal activity of insect hemolymph, probably because of a low search effort for antifungal proteins (Bulet and Stöcklin, 2005). Few studies, however, have reported strong growth inhibition of fungi by inducible insect hemolymph compounds (Lamberty et al, 1999), and defensins and cecropins are known for their antibacterial but also antifungal activities (Vilcinskas and Gross, 2005). Hence, our study is the first to report antifungal activity in an unchallenged beetle species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

A Well Protected Intruder: The Effective Antimicrobial Defense of the Invasive Ladybird Harmonia axyridis

et al. 2010

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The harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a polyphagous predatory beetle native to Central and Eastern Asia. Since 2007 it has established all over Central Europe. In order to elucidate which defense strategy is responsible for its high resistance to diseases, we tested hemolymph as well as eleven main components of the headspace of H. axyridis for antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, B. thuringiensis ssp. tenebrionis, Micrococcus luteus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). While three of the volatile compounds weakly reduced the growth of microorganisms, hemolymph of adults and larvae of H. axyridis strongly inhibited the growth of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as yeast. Furthermore, we compared the antimicrobial activity in the hemolymph of H. axyridis and Coccinella septempunctata. Antimicrobial activity in H. axyridis was about a thousand times higher compared to hemolymph from C. septempunctata. In contrast to C. septempunctata, the antimicrobial activity in H. axyridis was present without prior challenge. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the hemolymph of H. axyridis was lowest against E. coli and yeast followed by B. subtilis, and was highest against entomopathogenic B. thuringiensis ssp. tenebrionidae. Furthermore, MIC values of the hemolymph obtained from live beetles were significantly lower than from frozen insects. This suggests that the active antimicrobial compound is affected by freezing and subsequent thawing of the beetles. Potential implications of our findings for the competitive advantages of H. axyridis over C. septempunctata are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

A Well Protected Intruder: The Effective Antimicrobial Defense of the Invasive Ladybird Harmonia axyridis

et al. 2010

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“…The present study complements the recent analysis of its oral and anal secretions resulting in identification of numerous secondary metabolites which have been postulated to mediate chemical preservation of carcasses used for reproduction (Degenkolb et al ., 2011). Both studies were motivated by the idea of exploring N. vespilloides as a source of natural products with potential to be applied in medicine (Ratcliffe et al ., 2011; Vilcinskas, 2011), food preservation or plant protection (Vilcinskas & Gross, 2005). In addition, our present work focuses on the identification and characterization of its secreted enzymes mediating pre‐oral digestion of carcasses.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of immunity‐related genes in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides by suppression subtractive hybridization

Vogel

Badapanda

Vilcinskas

2011

Insect Molecular Biology

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Burying beetles reproduce on small vertebrate cadavers which they bury in the soil after localization through volatiles emitted from the carcass. They then chemically preserve the carcass and prepare it as a diet for the adults and their offspring. It is predicted that exposure to high loads of soil and/or carrion-associated microbes necessitates an effective immune system. In the present paper, we report experimental screening for immunity-related genes in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides using the suppression subtractive hybridization approach. A total of 1179 putative gene objects were identified in the Nicrophorus cDNA library, which was enriched for transcripts differentially expressed upon challenge with heat-inactivated bacteria. In addition to genes known to be involved in immunity-related recognition and signalling, we found transcripts encoding for antimicrobial peptides and for an array of enzymes that can be linked to immunity or to stress-induced pathways. We also determined proteins that may contribute to detoxification of toxins produced by microbial competitors. In addition, factors involved in mRNA stability determination and central components of the RNA interference machinery were identified, implying transcriptional reprogramming and potential stress-induced retrotransposon elimination. The identified candidate immune effector and stress-related genes may provide important information about the unusual ecology and evolution of the burying beetles.

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“…The use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) has emerged as an alternative strategy for plant protection because it bears the potential to reduce microbial adaptation, and at the same time avoids, Ôcost for resistanceÕ that usually occurs once the plantÕs own defence is activated (Vilcinskas and Gross 2005;Marcos et al 2008). Most of the AMPs display a broad-spectrum activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as fungi (Guani-Guerra et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Antimicrobial Peptide Thanatin Reduces Fungal Infections in Arabidopsis

Koch¹,

Khalifa²,

Langen³

et al. 2012

Journal of Phytopathology

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We explored the antifungal activity of thanatin, a 21 amino acid synthetic peptide from the hemipteran spined soldier bug Podisus maculiventris, against the mycotoxin‐producing plant pathogenic ascomycete Fusarium graminearum. In vitro germination assays showed complete inhibition of macroconidia germination and mycelia growth by >10 μm thanatin. Moreover, detached leaves of thanatin‐expressing Arabidopsis thaliana plants displayed enhanced resistance towards colonization with F. graminearum. Consistent with this, the plants showed also enhanced resistance of detached leaves to colonization with Botrytis cinerea. The results demonstrate a potential of thanatin for use in plant protection.

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Drugs from bugs: the use of insects as a valuable source of transgenes with potential in modern plant protection strategies

Cited by 22 publications

References 55 publications

A Well Protected Intruder: The Effective Antimicrobial Defense of the Invasive Ladybird Harmonia axyridis

A Well Protected Intruder: The Effective Antimicrobial Defense of the Invasive Ladybird Harmonia axyridis

Identification of immunity‐related genes in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides by suppression subtractive hybridization

The Antimicrobial Peptide Thanatin Reduces Fungal Infections in Arabidopsis

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