Jaburetox affects gene expression and enzyme activities in Rhodnius prolixus, a Chagas? disease vector

FRUTTERO LEONARDO; MOYETTA NATALIA; SIEBRA-KRUG MONIQUE; BROLL VALQUIRIA; COSTE GRAHL MATHEUS; REAL-GUERRA RAFAEL; STANISÇUASKI FERNANDA; CARLINI CELIA REGINA

ACTA TROPICA

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2017 p. 54 - 54

0001-706X

aburetox, a recombinant peptide of ∼11 kDa derived from one of the Canavalia ensiformis (Jack Bean)urease isoforms, is toxic and lethal to insects belonging to different orders when administered orally orvia injection. Previous findings indicated that Jaburetox acts on insects in a complex fashion, inhibiting diuresis and the transmembrane potential of Malpighian tubules, interfering with muscle contractility and affecting the immune system. In vitro, Jaburetox forms ionic channels and alters permeability of artificial lipid membranes. Moreover, recent data suggested that the central nervous system (CNS) is a target organ for ureases and Jaburetox. In this work, we employed biochemical, molecular and cellular approaches to explore the mode of action of Jaburetox using Rhodnius prolixus, one of the main Chagas?disease vectors, as experimental model. In vitro incubations with fluorescently labeled Jaburetox indicated a high affinity of the peptide for the CNS but not for salivary