Purification and characterization of trans-permethrin metabolizing microsomal esterases from workers of the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar).
Three alpha-naphthyl acetate hydrolyzing esterase isozymes were purified from microsomes prepared from Reticulitermes flavipes workers. The two step process involved sequential preparative IEF followed by continuous elution preparative electrophoresis on a 5% non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel. The first IEF run resulted in 5.4-fold purification with a yield of 46.1%. Subsequent IEF further purified the esterases 14.3-fold and 12% yield. Preparative electrophoresis of the pooled IEF fractions produced three major peaks of alpha-naphthyl acetate hydrolyzing activity. The esterases were correspondingly designated microsomal esterase (ME) 1, ME 2, and ME 3 based on increasing molecular retention on a native PAGE gel. ME 1, ME 2, and ME 3 were acidic proteins with pI values of 4.61, 4.70, and 4.77, respectively. Molecular mass as determined by gel filtration chromatography of ME 1, ME 2, and ME 3 was 69, 64, and 62 kDa, respectively. SDS-PAGE gels produced a single band for each of the isozymes with a molecular mass of 63 kDa indicating that the esterases were monomers. Specific activities of ME 1, ME 2, and ME 3 increased with increasing pH and the enzymes were active over a broad temperature range (25-55 degrees C). The three purified isozymes were inhibited at low concentration by paraoxon (10(-10) M), chlorpyrifos (10(-6) M), DEF (10(-6) M), and PMSF (10(-6) M) indicating that they were "B" type serine esterases. Conversely, inhibition was not observed at 10(-4) M eserine, PHMB, or CaCl(2), further supporting the conclusion that the microsomal esterases were of the "B" type. None of the isozymes was inhibited by 10(-4) M imidacloprid, fipronil, or PBO. Quantitatively, ME 1, ME 2 and ME 3 metabolized t-permethrin at 21.8, 21.0, and 38.8 nmol/h/mg protein, representing a purification factor of 333-, 318-, and 591-fold over microsomes, respectively. The three isozymes produced the same type and number of t-permethrin metabolites.
Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, USDA-ARS, 1600 SW 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA. svalles@gainesville.usda.ufl.edu
S M
SM
Valles
F M
FM
Oi
C A
CA
Strong
D000818:Animals; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D020049:Isoptera / Q000201:enzymology*; D008861:Microsomes / Q000201:enzymology*; D009283:Naphthol AS D Esterase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D026023:Permethrin; D011722:Pyrethrins / Q000378:metabolism*
D011722:Pyrethrins; D003208:Concanavalin A; D026023:Permethrin; D009283:Naphthol AS D Esterase