Toxins 2011, 3(12), 1502-1517; doi:10.3390/toxins3121502
Review

Pea Albumin 1 Subunit b (PA1b), a Promising Bioinsecticide of Plant Origin

Frédéric Gressent* email, Pedro Da Silvaemail, Vanessa Eyraudemail, Lamis Karakiemail and Corinne Royeremail
INSA-Lyon, INRA, Université de Lyon, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, Bat. Louis-Pasteur 20 av. Albert Einstein, Villeurbanne F-69621, France
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 23 September 2011; in revised form: 24 November 2011 / Accepted: 30 November 2011 / Published: 8 December 2011
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insecticidal Toxins)
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Abstract: PA1b (Pea Albumin 1, subunit b) is a peptide extract from pea seeds showing significant insecticidal activity against certain insects, such as cereal weevils (genus Sitophilus), the mosquitoes Culex pipiens and Aedes aegyptii, and certain species of aphids. PA1b has great potential for use on an industrial scale and for use in organic farming: it is extracted from a common plant; it is a peptide (and therefore suitable for transgenic applications); it can withstand many steps of extraction and purification without losing its activity; and it is present in a seed regularly consumed by humans and mammals without any known toxicity or allergenicity. The potential of this peptide to limit pest damage has stimulated research concerning its host range, its mechanism of action, its three-dimensional structure, the natural diversity of PA1b and its structure–function relationships.
Keywords: PA1b; insect; bioinsecticide; Legumes

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Gressent, F.; Da Silva, P.; Eyraud, V.; Karaki, L.; Royer, C. Pea Albumin 1 Subunit b (PA1b), a Promising Bioinsecticide of Plant Origin. Toxins 2011, 3, 1502-1517.

AMA Style

Gressent F, Da Silva P, Eyraud V, Karaki L, Royer C. Pea Albumin 1 Subunit b (PA1b), a Promising Bioinsecticide of Plant Origin. Toxins. 2011; 3(12):1502-1517.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gressent, Frédéric; Da Silva, Pedro; Eyraud, Vanessa; Karaki, Lamis; Royer, Corinne. 2011. "Pea Albumin 1 Subunit b (PA1b), a Promising Bioinsecticide of Plant Origin." Toxins 3, no. 12: 1502-1517.

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