Functional interpretation of APN receptor from M.sexta using a molecular model

Insect pests are the major cause of damage to commercially important agricultural crops. The continuous application of synthetic pesticides resulted in severe insect resistance by plants. This causes irreversible damage to the environment.Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) emerged as a valuable biological alternative in pest control. However, insect resistance against Bthas been reported in many cases. Insects develop resistance to insecticides through mechanisms that reduce the binding oftoxins to gut receptors. Nonetheless, the molecular mechanism of insect resistance is not fully understood. Therefore, it isimportant to study the mechanism of toxin resistance by analyzing amino‐peptidase‐N (APN) receptor of the insect M. sexta.A homology model of APN was constructed using Insight II molecular modeling software and the model was furtherevaluated using the PROCHECK program. Oligosaccharides participating in post translational modification wereconstructed and docked onto specific APN functional sites. Post analyses of the APN model provide insights on thefunctional properties of APN towards the understanding of receptor and toxin interactions. We also discuss the predictedbinding sites for ligands, metals and Bt toxins in M. sexta APN receptor. These data help in the development of a roadmapfor the design and synthesis of novel insect resistant Cry toxins.