title: Compensations for temperature in the activities of digestive enzymes of Periplaneta americana (L.).
abstract: 1. Differential thermal acclimatory responses of maximal catalytic rates (Vmax) of digestive enzymes have been measured in both sexes of Periplaneta americana adapted to 16 and 32 degrees C. 2. Salivary amylase of females and gastric protease of males exhibit "translational" acclimation, the former showing a "complete" but the latter only a "partial" compensation. The value of Q10 is not altered in the adaptive response. 3. An alteration of the thermal coefficient is evidenced by the "translational-cum-rotational" compensation of gastric amylolytic activity, with significant warm acclimation but no cold acclimation in both sexes. 4. Gastric protease of female cockroaches and gastric lipase of both sexes are characterized by the lack of an adaptive compensation to temperature, while salivary amylase of male appears to manifest an "inverse" acclimation. 5. Sexual dimorphism in the levels of the activities and in the patterns of thermal acclimation of the digestive enzymes is indicated.
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization; D000681:Amylases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D003058:Cockroaches / Q000201:enzymology*; D004063:Digestion; D004064:Digestive System / Q000201:enzymology; D005260:Female; D007700:Kinetics; D008049:Lipase / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012463:Saliva / Q000201:enzymology; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D008049:Lipase; D000681:Amylases; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases