title: Pea Albumin 1 subunit b (PA1b), a promising bioinsecticide of plant origin.
abstract: PA1b (Pea Albumin 1, subunit b) is a peptide extract from pea seeds showing significant insecticidal activity against certain insects, such as cereal weevils (genus Sitophilus), the mosquitoes Culex pipiens and Aedes aegyptii, and certain species of aphids. PA1b has great potential for use on an industrial scale and for use in organic farming: it is extracted from a common plant; it is a peptide (and therefore suitable for transgenic applications); it can withstand many steps of extraction and purification without losing its activity; and it is present in a seed regularly consumed by humans and mammals without any known toxicity or allergenicity. The potential of this peptide to limit pest damage has stimulated research concerning its host range, its mechanism of action, its three-dimensional structure, the natural diversity of PA1b and its structure-function relationships.
authors.affiliation: INSA-Lyon, INRA, Université de Lyon, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Bat. Louis-Pasteur 20 av. Albert Einstein, Villeurbanne F-69621, France. Frederic.Gressent@lyon.inra.fr
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gressent
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Da Silva
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Eyraud
authors.forename: Lamis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Karaki
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Royer
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D044822:Biodiversity; D007313:Insecta / Q000187:drug effects; D007306:Insecticides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018532:Pisum sativum / Q000737:chemistry*; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D007306:Insecticides; D021122:Protein Subunits