The main goal of this highly innovative project in insect and lectin sciences is to know how the SSA lectin exerts its high toxicity towards insects, or in other words the detailed understanding of the mode of action behind the high insecticidal activity of SSA lectin with the following specific objectives:

1. To identify the response and expression profile of different genes and proteins upon SSA application to aphids and insect midgut CF-203 cells.

2. To identify the binding and/or candidate receptor proteins for SSA in midgut tissues, specifically the brush border membrane, of aphids and on the surface of insect midgut CF-203 cells.

3. Functional analysis of the candidate receptor proteins in relation to insecticidal activity.

4. To identify and characterize the signalling pathway related to cell death mechanisms caused by SSA.