title: Plant ureases and related peptides: understanding their entomotoxic properties.
abstract: Recently, ureases were included in the arsenal of plant defense proteins, alongside many other proteins with biotechnological potential such as insecticides. Isoforms of Canavalia ensiformis urease (canatoxin-CNTX and jack bean urease-JBURE-I) are toxic to insects of different orders. This toxicity is due in part to the release of a 10 kDa peptide from the native protein, by cathepsin-like enzymes present in the insect digestive tract. The entomotoxic peptide, Jaburetox-2Ec, exhibits potent insecticidal activity against several insects, including many resistant to the native ureases. JBURE-I and Jaburetox-2Ec cause major alterations of post-feeding physiological processes in insects, which contribute to, or can be the cause of, their entomotoxic effect. An overview of the current knowledge on plant urease processing and mechanisms of action in insects is presented in this review.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, Porto Alegre 91501-970, Brazil. fernanda.staniscuaski@ufrgs.br
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stanisçuaski
authors.forename: Célia R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Carlini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D032449:Canavalia / Q000201:enzymology*; D007313:Insecta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007306:Insecticides / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D008018:Life Cycle Stages / Q000187:drug effects; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D014510:Urease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D010940:Plant Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D014118:Toxins, Biological; C032815:canatoxin; D014510:Urease; C525847:jaburetox-2Ec, Canavalia ensiformis