THE ALIMENTARY TRACK OF THE GLASSY-WINGED SHARPSHOOTER AS A TARGET FOR CONTROL OF PIERCE’S DISEASE AND DEVELOPMENT OF MIMETIC INSECTICIDAL PEPTIDES FOR GLASSY-WINGED SHARPSHOOTER CONTROL

Toxin technology using Bacillus sphaericus has been used to control the important vectors of human diseases, the Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito species. Agricultural pests such as caterpillars and beetles have been targeted by transgenic insecticidal crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin. However, a Bt technology would be ineffective in controlling xylem-and phloem-sucking insect pests, such as the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca coagulata (GWSS), because their feeding habit circumvents the tissues in which the toxins are expressed in transgenic plants and they are likely immune to the Bt toxins. Our research is developing mimetic peptides to target the exposed active domains of transport proteins on the surface of the GWSS midgut microvillar membrane and GWSS salivary enzymes. We are using a genomics approach to develop proteins cloned from the variable binding domains of immunoglobulin molecules specific to GWSS gut and salivary proteins. To isolate targets we have used degenerate PCR to amplify genes characterized in other insect species, and are screening a cDNA microarray to identify novel gut and saliva protein encoding genes. Our first mimetic peptides are targeting the GWSS V-ATPase c subunit