Abstract

Anticarsia gemmatalis and Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) are serious defoliators of a number of crops. In order to better understand the digestion process of these pests and considering that the midgut is one of the most important and attractive targets for biological pesticides, this report shows the evaluation of midgut proteins from A. gemmatalis and S. frugiperda by proteomic analyses. Larval midguts were removed and total proteins (approximately 650 µg) were extracted and further submitted to two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). Proteins were identified by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) including catalase, enolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, arginine kinase, pyrophosphatase and farnesoic acid O-methyl transferase. All proteins identified seem to be involved in insect development in different ways, being directly involved in their growth or used in metabolic pathways that may influence pest development. The identification of those proteins could contribute to a better understanding of pest physiology, leading to the development of novel strategies for pest management. In short, the identification of proteins by 2D may lead to the use of new approaches for pest management.

Key words: Anticarsia gemmatalis, Spodoptera frugiperda, proteomics, mass spectrometry (MS).