INVESTIGATION AND MOLECULAR DOCKING STUDIES ON SECONDARY METABOLITES OBTAINED FROM BEAUVERIA BASSIANA AGAINST HEXAMERIN RECEPTOR PROTEIN OF CORCYRA CEPHALONICA, STORED PRODUCT PEST

Objective: Entomopathogenic fungi are rich sources of bioactive secondary metabolites that possess insecticidal properties. The present study reported a novel approach for the identification of insecticidal compounds produced by Beauveria bassiana and to assess their toxicity against the rice moth Corcyra cephalonica. Only few studies were focused on the compound Beauveriolide-V, produced during the infection of B. bassiana. These studies were evaluated the pathogenicity of insect pest and limited information of Beauveriolide-V from entomopathogenic fungi such as B. bassiana. They also lack the information on dynamic role of secondary metabolites during the parthenogenesis and fungal development in in-vivo insect host. Methods: our study is the first to report the molecular docking of Beauveriolide-V against the insect pest C. cephalonica. Furthermore the ligand target interaction of secondary metabolite of B. bassiana with target insect hexamerin receptor protein predicted the role of toxicity against insect pest. This novel approach provides a potential impact of biological control and molecular docking studies forms the ultimate information whether the toxic protein of the biopesticide binds with the insect protein. Results: The docking score between the fungal metabolite Beauveriolide V and the target protein was -10.941kcal/mol and the fungal metabolite Tenellin showed -12.191kcal/mol. The glide energy obtained was about -51.77 for Beauveriolide V and -54.486 for Tenellin respectively. Conclusion: From the results it is suggested that B. bassiana culture filtrates will be used against the C. cephalonica larvae as a biocontrol agent.