Biotransformation of Deoxynivalenol by a Dual-Member Bacterial Consortium Isolated from Tenebrio molitor Larval Feces

Purification, characterization and molecular cloning of the major chitinase from Tenebrio molitor larval midgut.

Insect chitinases are involved in degradation of chitin from the exoskeleton cuticle or from midgut peritrophic membrane during molts. cDNAs coding for insect cuticular and gut chitinases were cloned, but only chitinases from moulting fluid were purified and characterized. In this study the major digestive chitinase from T. molitor midgut (TmChi) was purified to homogeneity, characterized and s...

Phospholipids of Tenebrio molitor larvae

Phospholipids of Tenebrio molitor larvae were separated on columns of DEAE -cellulose and silicic acidHyflo Super Cel. The major phosphatide components were identified by various analytical procedures. Phosphatidyl choline was demonstrated to be the predominant phospholipid with a high percentage of phosphatidyl ethanolamine. A small amount of inositolcontaining phosphatides were present. Phosp...

Effects of Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) on larval growth of mealworms, Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Localization of post-proline cleaving peptidases in Tenebrio molitor larval midgut.

Two soluble post-proline cleaving peptidase activities, PPCP1 and PPCP2, were demonstrated in Tenebrio molitor larval midgut with the substrate benzyloxycarbonyl-L-alanyl-L-proline p-nitroanilide. Both activities were serine peptidases. PPCP1 was active in acidic buffers, with maximum activity at pH 5.3, and was located mainly in the more acidic anterior midgut lumen. The dynamics of PPCP1 acti...

Do male and female beetles (Tenebrio molitor) respond differently to rat feces containing eggs from the tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta?

Males and females often differ in their susceptibility and exposure to infection. Thus, they may also differ in their ability to avoid infection. The beetle, Tenebrio molitor, risks infection with cysticercoids when ingesting rat feces containing eggs of the tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta. Previous studies demonstrated that beetles sometimes prefer infective feces suggesting that the tapeworm i...