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Disruption of protein digestion in insects by specific endoprotease inhibitors is being regarded as an alternative to conventional insecticides for pest control. To optimize the effectiveness of this strategy, the understanding of the endoprotease diversity of the target insect is crucial. In this sense, a membrane-bound trypsin-like enzyme from the gut of Anticarsia gemmatalis fifth-instar larvae was purified. Non-soluble fraction of the gut extract was solubilized with 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS) and subjected to a p-aminobenzamidine affinity chromatography followed by anion-exchange chromatography. The yield of the purified enzyme was 11% with a purification factor of 143 and a final specific activity of 18.6 µM min. -1 mg -1 protein using N-α-benzoyl-L- Arg-p-nitroanilide (L-BApNA) as substrate. The purified sample showed a single band with proteolytic activity active and apparent molecular mass of 25 kDa on SDS-PAGE. Molecular mass determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry was 28,632 ± 26 Da. Although the low recovery and the difficulties in purifying large enzyme amounts limited its further characterization, the results contribute for the understanding of the proteases present on A. gemmatalis gut, which are potential targets for natural or specifically designed protease inhibitors.

Effects of lineage and sex on geometrical and biomechanical properties of broiler chickens tibias. The intensive rearing of broilers, combined with nutrition and genetic improvement focused on weight gain has resulted in increasing rates of leg problems. Among the variables that may contribute to the occurrence of these problems are sex and lineage. In this context, the study evaluated the geometric and mechanical properties of the tibiae of broilers, male and female, from three commercial lines in the final growth stage, between 21 and 42 days. The geometric characteristics reflect the adaptive response of bone, with a direct relationship between their dimensions and the live weight of birds. As for the mechanical properties obtained from bending tests, it is observed that the evaluation of bone strength can lead to different conclusions depending on the mechanical parameter considered. Heavier birds, with larger bones, support more load in bending. However, when intrinsic strength parameters of the material are considered, such as bending strength, it is observed that the heavier line does not show significantly different values from the others. The same occurred among males (heavier) and females. Thus, heavier birds may be more susceptible to structural leg problems, as their tibias are as strong as those from lighter birds.