LECTIN-BINDING TO INSECT BRUSH-BORDER MEMBRANES

It has been hypothesized that plant lectins play a role in the defense of the plant from fungal and insect attack. Several insects species h ave been shown to be sensitive to lectins. However, the mechanism by w hich lectins exert their insecticidal activity is unknown. The results presented in this article compare the insecticidal activity of lectin s with their apparent ability to bind to brush border membrane protein s of European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis Hubner, and Western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Le-Conte. Lectins that caused significant mortality or a decrease in weight gain in O. nubilalis al so bound strongly to O. nubilalis brush border membrane proteins, but not all lectins that bound strongly were insecticidal. Relationships b etween binding and mortality were less consistent in D, virgifera virg ifera.