Inhibitors of glycosylhydrolases as potential insecticides : focus on aphid model

Beside conventional neurotoxic compounds, new kinds of insecticides are investigated and new specific targets are in current research. According to the energy metabolic pathway, several enzymes are interesting to bring potential specific control of arthropods. Indeed, glycosylhydrolase group is very diversified from glucanases to trehalases, until chitinases. Different kinds of inhibitors were here tested to determine their potential role as new targetted aphicides. After different assays using the selected inhibitors in artificial diets, the most efficient molecules at 50-100 μg ml-1were kept for further proteomic tasks. The proteome patterns of aphids related to different inhibitor treatments were determined by two dimension electrophoresis, 2D-Differencial In Gel Expression (2D-Dige) coupled with mass spectrometry (ESI-MS-MS and Maldi-Tof-MS-MS) and data bank investigations. Particular proteins of interest were selected and accurately characterised with both fundamental but also applied views. Not only the carbohydrate metabolic pathway was disturbed with the use of glycosylhydolases inhibitors, other primary functions were also modified (amino acid synthesis, stress response, etc). This proteomic approach was discussed as an interesting and reliable tool to study the biologically involved proteins from aphids in response to specific tested enzymatic inhibitors with further ideas to be promoted as new insecticides to control insect pests.