Analysis of bruchid resistance in the wild common bean accession G02771: no evidence for insecticidal activity of arcelin 5

• Published in: Journal of experimental botany 2000-07, Vol.51 (348), p.1229-1236
• Main Authors: Goossens, Alain, Quintero, Constanza, Dillen, Willy, De Rycke, Riet, Flower Valor, Jose, De Clercq, Janniek, Van Montagu, Marc, Cardona, Cesar, Angenon, Geert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antiserum; Arcelin; Artificial seeds; Beans; Biological and medical sciences; bruchid resistance; Cell and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Physiology; Coleoptera - drug effects; Coleoptera - growth & development; Coleoptera - metabolism; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Fabaceae - chemistry; Fabaceae - genetics; Fabaceae - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genotypes; Glycoproteins - genetics; Glycoproteins - metabolism; Glycoproteins - toxicity; Immune Sera; Insect larvae; Larva; Larval development; Mexican bean weevil; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Phaseolus; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plant Proteins - toxicity; Plants, Genetically Modified; Plants, Medicinal; Protozoa. Invertebrates; Records, symptoms, damages, economic importance, population surveys; Seeds; Seeds - chemistry; Seeds - genetics; Seeds - metabolism; Transgenic insects; Transgenic plants; Weevils; Zabrotes subfasciatus
• ISSN: 0022-0957; 1460-2431
• DOI: 10.1093/jexbot/51.348.1229

Arcelins are abundant seed storage proteins thought to be implicated in the resistance of wild Phaseolus vulgaris (L.) genotypes against Zabrotes subfasciatus (Boheman), an important storage insect pest of common bean. Here, the insecticidal activity of the arcelin‐5 variant that is present in the highly resistant P. vulgaris accession G02771 was investigated. No correlation could be established between the presence of arcelin 5 and the insecticidal effects observed in G02771 seeds. Insect feeding assays with artificial seeds into which purified arcelin‐5 protein was incorporated and with transgenic P. acutifolius (A. Gray) seeds in which the arcelin‐5 genes were expressed, showed that the presence of arcelin‐5 proteins, even at elevated levels, was not sufficient to achieve adequate resistance against Z. subfasciatus. The same might apply to other arcelin variants. Nevertheless, as resistance is clearly closely linked to the presence of the arcelin‐1 or arcelin‐5 locus, arcelins remain useful markers in breeding programmes aimed at introgressing high levels of resistance to Z. subfasciatus in P. vulgaris cultivars.