A unique latex protein, MLX56, defends mulberry trees from insects

Effects of plant latex based anti-termite formulations on Indian white termite <i>Odontotermes obesus</i> (Isoptera: Odontotermitidae) in sub-tropical high infestation areas

“…Similarly, cysteine proteases occur in latex of papaya (Carica papaya) and wild fig (Ficusvirgata) were found highly toxic to caterpillars of herbivorous insects [9]. Similarly, few natural products such as sugar mimic alkaloids [30,31] flavonoids [32,33], sesquiterpenes [34], triterpenes [35] and thiophenes [36], lectins [37,38], latex proteins [39], acetogenins [40] and other botanicals [8,41] isolated from different plants species were found active against silk worm, Bombyx mori and termites [42]. Similarly latex chitinases [43], glycosidase inhibitors [44] and few secondary metabolites of plant origin show strong insecticidal properties [10].…”

Natural Rubber Biosynthesis and Physic-Chemical Studies on Plant Derived Latex

“…Lactuca sativa, Ficus spp., H. brasiliensis, Calotropis procera, Papaver somniferum and Morus spp. -independent of the ability for rubber biosynthesis -is the high abundance of stress-and defense-related proteins in the latex (Decker et al, 2000;El Moussaoui et al, 2001;Stubbe et al, 2005;Kim et al, 2003;Chow et al, 2007;Freitas et al, 2007;Wasano et al, 2009). …”

Laticifers in mulberry exclusively accumulate defense proteins related to biotic stresses

“…LAa, LA-b ( Figure 1A) and LA-c ( Figure 1B) were the most abundant proteins in the laticifers and had been identified previously (Kitajima et al 2010(Kitajima et al , 2012. LA-a is a protein equivalent to MLX56 reported by Wasano et al (2009). Another ten and eight abundant proteins from unlignified and lignified laticifers, respectively, were selected in order to identify the protein species.…”