Cotton boll weevil is one of the most destructive pests of cotton in the
Americas. Institut de L'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA)
scientist, Severine Lacombe, and colleagues developed an á-amylase inhibitor
(á-AIC3) variant using molecular evolution strategy to impede the action of
cotton boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis). The findings are published in BMC
Biotechnology.

The researchers produced á-AIC3 using a temporary expression system in
Nicotiana benthamiana, a relative of tobacco. Structural and functional
characterization of á-AIC3 showed that it has the ability to inhibit up to
100% of A. grandis á-amylase, while it had no effect on the á-amylase of two
other non-pathogenic insects.

The results imply that N. bethamiana is a suitable system for high-level
production of biologically active á-AIC3. The data also suggest that á-AIC3
could be a potential candidate for the production of GM crops with
resistance to cotton boll weevil.

[bmcbiotechnol.biomedcentral.com]