EN
In the present study, 11 varieties of Dolichos biflorus exhibited both protease inhibitor activities as well as in vitro inhibitory activity against Helicoverpa armigera gut protease. A Bowman–Birk protease inhibitor showing activity against trypsin and α-chymotrypsin has been purified from D. biflorus seeds using multi-step strategy. The purified inhibitor revealed a single band on SDSPAGE corresponding to molecular mass of 16 kDa. The inhibitory constants for the interaction of purified PI with trypsin and α-chymotrypsin were 0.04 and 0.48 lM, respectively. The purified inhibitor was stable over a pH range of 2–12 and up to a temperature of 100 ºC for 20 min. The results of insect bioassay against H. armigera revealed 68 % decline in larval weight after 7 days of feeding on artificial diet containing the inhibitor. The larval growth and % leaf area eaten were drastically reduced in the presence of inhibitor. The observed cumulative mortality from larval to adult was 51.21 %. The inhibitor displayed antifungal activity against Alternaria alternata, Fusarium oxysporum, and Aspergillus niger with minimum inhibitory concentration as 0.4, 0.6, and 1.2 μg mL-1, respectively. This is the first report of anti-feedant and anti-fungal activities of D. biflorus protease inhibitor on a single protein, which might be important for developing transgenic plants resistant to insect pests and fungal pathogens.