title: Phytocystatins: Defense Proteins against Phytophagous Insects and Acari.
abstract: This review deals with phytocystatins, focussing on their potential role as defence proteins against phytophagous arthropods. Information about the evolutionary, molecular and biochemical features and inhibitory properties of phytocystatins are presented. Cystatin ability to inhibit heterologous cysteine protease activities is commented on as well as some approaches of tailoring cystatin specificity to enhance their defence function towards pests. A general landscape on the digestive proteases of phytophagous insects and acari and the remarkable plasticity of their digestive physiology after feeding on cystatins are highlighted. Biotechnological approaches to produce recombinant cystatins to be added to artificial diets or to be sprayed as insecticide-acaricide compounds and the of use cystatins as transgenes are discussed. Multiple examples and applications are included to end with some conclusions and future perspectives.
authors: Centro de Biotecnologia y Genomica de Plantas, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Campus Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid 28223, Spain. m.martinez@upm.es.
authors: Manuel
authors: M
authors: Martinez
authors: Centro de Biotecnologia y Genomica de Plantas, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Campus Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid 28223, Spain. me.santamaria@upm.es.
authors: Maria Estrella
authors: ME
authors: Santamaria
authors: Centro de Biotecnologia y Genomica de Plantas, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Campus Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid 28223, Spain. mercedes.diaz.mendoza@upm.es.
authors: Mercedes
authors: M
authors: Diaz-Mendoza
authors: Centro de Biotecnologia y Genomica de Plantas, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Campus Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid 28223, Spain. ana.arnaiz.alonso@alumnos.upm.es.
authors: Ana
authors: A
authors: Arnaiz
authors: Centro de Biotecnologia y Genomica de Plantas, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Campus Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid 28223, Spain. laura.carrillo@upm.es.
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Carrillo
authors: Departamento de Biologia Medioambiental, Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas, CSIC, Ramiro de Maeztu, 9, Madrid 28040, Spain. ortego@cib.csic.es.
authors: Felix
authors: F
authors: Ortego
authors: Centro de Biotecnologia y Genomica de Plantas, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Campus Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid 28223, Spain. i.diaz@upm.es.
authors: Isabel
authors: I
authors: Diaz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015891:Cystatins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007313:Insecta / Q000187:drug effects*; D008925:Mites / Q000187:drug effects*; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D064209:Phytochemicals / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D015891:Cystatins; D064209:Phytochemicals; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases
keywords: acari; digestive proteases; insect; phytocystatin; plant-phytophagous interactions