Trypsin modulating oostatic factor (TMOF), a decapeptide isolated from the ovaries of Aedes aegypti is the physiological factor that regulates trypsin biosynthesis in the mosquito midgut. TMOF has proven its effectiveness as a potential mosquito larvicide by feeding recombinant yeast cells producing TMOF to Aedes aegypti larvae. TMOF stopped trypsin biosynthesis, larval growth and caused death by starvation.
To optimize TMOF production in chlorella and yeast cells, TMOF was cloned and expressed in Chlorella sps. Chlorella desiccata , Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris using different vectors and promotors. Several strategies were used i.e. single and multiple gene cloning to increase TMOF , GFP-TMOF and Bti-TMOF production in yeast. The efficiency of TMOF , GFP-TMOF and Bti-TMOF production in yeast cells was tested on mosquito larvae and the results will be discussed.
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA