Research Article

Enhanced activity of an insecticidal protein, trypsin modulating oostatic factor (TMOF), through conjugation with aliphatic polyethylene glycol

  1. Laura A Jeffers1,2,
  2. Hongyan Shen1,3,4,
  3. Sayed Khalil1,5,
  4. Brooke W Bissinger1,
  5. Alan Brandt6,
  6. T Brent Gunnoe3,7,
  7. R Michael Roe1,*

Article first published online: 24 JUN 2011

DOI: 10.1002/ps.2219

Issue

Pest Management Science

Pest Management Science

Volume 68, Issue 1, pages 49–59, January 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Jeffers, L. A., Shen, H., Khalil, S., Bissinger, B. W., Brandt, A., Gunnoe, T. B. and Roe, R. M. (2012), Enhanced activity of an insecticidal protein, trypsin modulating oostatic factor (TMOF), through conjugation with aliphatic polyethylene glycol. Pest. Manag. Sci., 68: 49–59. doi: 10.1002/ps.2219

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA

  2. 2

    USDA-APHIS-PPQ-CPHST-TQAU, Raleigh, NC, USA

  3. 3

    Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA

  4. 4

    Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China

  5. 5

    Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI), Giza, Egypt

  6. 6

    EpaFeX, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

  7. 7

    Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

*Department of Entomology, Campus Box 7647, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7647, USA.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 20 DEC 2011
  2. Article first published online: 24 JUN 2011
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 2 MAY 2011
  4. Manuscript Revised: 25 APR 2011
  5. Manuscript Received: 29 OCT 2010

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Keywords:

  • trypsin modulating oostatic factor;
  • TMOF;
  • PEGylation;
  • polyethylene glycol;
  • mosquito;
  • tobacco budworm;
  • cotton bollworm;
  • protein delivery

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 Heliocoverpa 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. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry

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