Project Number: 5430-43000-026-04
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 01, 2005
End Date: Aug 31, 2010

Objective:
To characterize proteins from the brush border membrane (BBM) of Tribolium castaneum to identify novel targets for insect control.

Approach:
A database of predicted proteins will be obtained from the annotated T. castaneum genome project, which will greatly facilitate the identification of unknown proteins. Protein from the BBM of larvae will be isolated using standard biochemical techniques to optimize protein recovery from membranes. Samples will be fractionated, and purified proteins will be identified using MALDI-TOF and MS/MS and algorithms for peptide mass fingerprinting. A database will be constructed of the subproteome of BBM proteins, and proteins will be selected for future studies, in particular, those that are critical to digestion and microbial defensive response.