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Science 12 October 1984:
Vol. 226. no. 4671, pp. 184 - 187
DOI: 10.1126/science.6207592
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Articles

Science, Vol 226, Issue 4671, 184-187
Copyright © 1984 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Caffeine and related methylxanthines: possible naturally occurring pesticides

JA Nathanson

Natural and synthetic methylxanthines inhibit insect feeding and are pesticidal at concentrations known to occur in plants. These effects are due primarily to inhibition of phosphodiesterase activity and to an increase in intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate. At lower concentrations, methylxanthines are potent synergists of other pesticides known to activate adenylate cyclase in insects. These data suggest that methylxanthines may function as natural insecticides and that phosphodiesterase inhibitors, alone or in combination with other compounds, may be useful in insect control.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Molecular Cloning and Functional Characterization of Three Distinct N-Methyltransferases Involved in the Caffeine Biosynthetic Pathway in Coffee Plants.
H. Uefuji, S. Ogita, Y. Yamaguchi, N. Koizumi, and H. Sano (2003)
Plant Physiology 132, 372-380
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
How do inositol and glucose modulate feeding in Manduca sexta caterpillars?.
J. Glendinning, N. Nelson, and E. Bernays (2000)
J. Exp. Biol. 203, 1299-1315
   Abstract »    PDF »
Diet-induced plasticity in the taste system of an insect: localization to a single transduction pathway in an identified taste cell.
J. Glendinning, S Ensslen, M. Eisenberg, and P Weiskopf (1999)
J. Exp. Biol. 202, 2091-2102
   Abstract »    PDF »


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