Effect of a Bowman-Birk proteinase inhibitor from Phaseolus coccineus on Hypothenemus hampei gut proteinases in vitro.

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), is an important devastating coffee pest worldwide. Both trypsin and chymotrypsin enzyme activities from H. hampei larval midgut can be inactivated by proteinaceous enzyme-inhibitors.

An alpha-amylase inhibitor gene from Phaseolus coccineus encodes a protein with potential for control of coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei).

Plant alpha-amylase inhibitors are proteins found in several plants, and play a key role in natural defenses. In this study, a gene encoding an alpha-amylase inhibitor, named alphaAI-Pc1, was isolated from cotyledons of Phaseolus coccineus. This inhibitor has an enhanced primary structure to P.