Arcelins — A Potential New Age Protein Anti-metabolite in Legume Seed Defense Against Stored Product Pests

Abstract

Worldover there is a search for newer protein anti -metabolites from plants for insect pest control. A range of proteins in this line has been identified and discussed by various people for more than three decades. Use of protein anti-metabolites in plant transformation is a very recent concept in insect pest control. Arcelins, the abundant seed storage proteins from wild varities of pulses offer promising results against stored product insect pests. Though identified during late 80s, arcelins are studied for effective exploitation at mass level to confer resistance to seeds under storage. This paper discusses about arcelins, their molecular charactenstics, toxic nature to insect pests, and possibilities for further exploitation in insect pest control.