title: The seed coat of Phaseolus vulgaris interferes with the development of the cowpea weevil [Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)].
abstract: We have confirmed here that the seeds of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, L.) do not support development of the bruchid Callosobruchus maculatus (F.), a pest of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] seeds. Analysis of the testa (seed coat) of the bean suggested that neither thickness nor the levels of compounds such as tannic acid, tannins, or HCN are important for the resistance. On the other hand, we have found that phaseolin (vicilin-like 7S storage globulin), detected in the testa by Western blotting and N-terminal amino acid sequencing, is detrimental to the development of C. maculatus. As for the case of other previously studied legume seeds (Canavalia ensiformis and Phaseolus lunatus) we suggest that the presence of vicilin-like proteins in the testa of P. vulgaris may have had a significant role in the evolutionary adaptation of bruchids to the seeds of leguminous plants.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Química e Função de Proteínas e Peptídeos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, 28015-620, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Luciana B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Maurício P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Sales
authors.forename: Antônia E A
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Olga L T
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Kátia V S
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xavier-Filho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000187:drug effects*; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000469:parasitology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D027805:Phaseolus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000469:parasitology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055314:Seed Storage Proteins; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D055314:Seed Storage Proteins; C048826:phaseolin protein, Phaseolus vulgaris; C015575:vicilin protein, plant