An international research consortium has reported the genome sequence
of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, the first for an insect pest.
Tribolium is a notorious invader of stored grains and grain products. The
genome consists of approximately 200 million DNA bases that code for about
16,000 proteins, one third of which represents repetitive sequences. The
study may have a big impact on agriculture as development in Tribolium is
more representative of other insects than is Drosophila (the first insect
with its genome sequence).
With the available genome sequence, the scientists enumerated numerous
possible insecticide targets. These include:

a.. Cytochrome P450 proteins involved in metabolic detoxification of
plant defense chemicals
b.. C1 cysteine peptidase genes associated with a protein-degrading
complex in the larval gut
c.. Neurohormones and G-protein-coupled receptors that are involved
in control of insect development, reproduction, and other physiological
processes


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