Presence of a fatty acid-binding protein and lipid stores in flight muscles of Dipetalogaster maximus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

A fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) from the cytosolic fraction of the triatomine Dipetalogaster maximus (Uhler) night muscles was purified by a procedure based on gel filtration, reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The protein has an apparent molecular mass of 14 kDa, and its N-terminus is unblocked. Its N-terminal sequence was obtained by submitting an SDS-PAGE band blotted onto a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane to Edman degradation. The sequence obtained indicates that this FABP belongs to the heart type. This is the first time that a fatty acid-binding protein has been reported for a triatomine. The presence of said FABP, abundant mitochondria, and lipid stores in the flight muscles of D. maximus suggests that beta oxidation of fatty acids is used by the triatomine thoracic muscle as an energy source, and could be related to its dispersal capacity.