科学家发现，通过一种糖类衍生物阻断害虫的免疫系统的一个成分，可以杀死这些害虫。他们的结果可能提供了一个非毒性的、可持续的保护农作物和建筑不受白蚁和其他破坏性昆虫危害的方法。

Ram Sasisekharan及其同事发现，阻断白蚁的革兰氏阴性细菌的结合蛋白的活动可以让白蚁巢容易受到细菌和真菌的伤害，后者能攻击并杀死白蚁。白蚁通常把一种抗菌蛋白分泌到它们的蚁巢中从而防止这些病原体的感染。这组作者报告了一种技术，它可以用一种称为GDL的天然形成的葡萄糖衍生物阻断这种蛋白的效果。这组科学家发现，把GDL加入到白蚁巢中可以导致白蚁更迅速地死于通常感染白蚁的真菌和其他机会细菌。这组作者提出，可以开发非毒性和可生物降解的GDL和其他类似的分子用于食品处理和贮存和建筑材料，从而保护它们不受害虫侵害。这组作者提出，可以把植物改造成在特定区域制造大量的GDL，从而增加它们的免疫力。

推荐原始出处：

PNAS June 8, 2009, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0904063106

Targeting an antimicrobial effector function in insect immunity as a pest control strategy

Mark S. Bulmera,1,2,3, Ido Bacheletb,1, Rahul Ramanb, Rebeca B. Rosengausa,4 and Ram Sasisekharanb,3,4

Insect pests such as termites cause damages to crops and man-made structures estimated at over $30 billion per year, imposing a global challenge for the human economy. Here, we report a strategy for compromising insect immunity that might lead to the development of nontoxic, sustainable pest control methods. Gram-negative bacteria binding proteins (GNBPs) are critical for sensing pathogenic infection and triggering effector responses. We report that termite GNBP-2 (tGNBP-2) shows β(1,3)-glucanase effector activity previously unknown in animal immunity and is a pleiotropic pattern recognition receptor and an antimicrobial effector protein. Termites incorporate this protein into the nest building material, where it functions as a nest-embedded sensor that cleaves and releases pathogenic components, priming termites for improved antimicrobial defense. By means of rational design, we present an inexpensive, nontoxic small molecule glycomimetic that blocks tGNBP-2, thus exposing termites in vivo to accelerated infection and death from specific and opportunistic pathogens. Such a molecule, introduced into building materials and agricultural methods, could protect valuable assets from insect pests.