Purushottam Lomate, Iowa State University, Department of Entomology
Monday, 4:10pm Lagomarcino Hall
Abstract. Stink bugs negatively impact numerous plant species of agricultural and horticultural importance. While efforts to develop effective control measures are underway, the unique digestive physiology of these pests presents a significant hurdle for either protein- or nucleotide-based management options. We characterized digestive proteases and nucleases from the gut, salivary gland and saliva of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula by using a multidisciplinary approach that includes classical biochemistry, proteomics and transcriptomics. The results from this study, which highlight the challenges associated with application of either Bacillus thuringiensis-derived toxins or RNA interference-based strategies for stink bug management, will be described.