A Johns Hopkins study revealed that an enzyme in fruit fly testes could hinder insect reproduction by managing bromotyrosine accumulation, presenting a novel method for managing pests that threaten agriculture and spread diseases.
A novel way to curb nagging insects has been flying under our radar—an enzyme from fruit fly testes.
The compound could control bugs that carry disease and harm crops by stunting their ability to procreate, according to new research by Johns Hopkins University.
“We have a toe in the door to control fruit fly populations with this enzyme,” said Steven Rokita, a professor of chemistry at Johns Hopkins who led the research. “It could offer a good way to control the fertility of all kinds of biological and agricultural pests, starting with mosquito populations.”
The findings were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Surprising Ubiquity and Function of the Enzyme
Rokita’s group stumbled upon the discovery while studying how iodide works in the thyroid gland. The team previously demonstrated the ubiquity of the enzyme iodotyrosine deiodinase, which seemed to play an unexpected role in key physiological processes of certain bacteria, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2322501121
Other authors are Qi Su, Bing Xu, and Xin Chen, all of Johns Hopkins.
The research was supported by the