title: Glutathione S-transferases of Aulacorthum solani and Acyrthosiphon pisum: partial purification and characterization.
abstract: Glutathione S-transferases (GST) play an important role in the detoxification of many substances including allelochemicals from plants. Brassicaceae plants contain glucosinolates and emit volatile isothiocyanates which affect the GST system. A comparison of the GST of two aphid species, the generalist Aulacorthum solani found on Brassicaceae and the Fabaceae specialist Acyrthosiphon pisum, was made to try to explain their respective feeding behaviour. Differences of GST were determined among the two aphid species based on purification by affinity chromatography, SDS-PAGE and on kinetic studies. Purification yields using an epoxy-activated Sepharose 6B column were highly different for the two aphid species (18% and 34% for A. solani and A. pisum, respectively). These variations were confirmed by SDS-PAGE. While only a 27-kDa band was observed for A. pisum, two bands of approximately 25-kDa were visualized for the generalist aphid, A. solani. Considering the kinetic results, differences of Km and Vmax were observed following the aphid species when a range of substrates (CDNB and DCNB) and GSH concentrations were tested. Studies on the detoxification enzymes of generalist and specialist herbivores would be undertaken to determine accurately the effect of the host plant on the organisms eating them, particularly in terms of biochemical and ecological advantages.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Pure and Applied Zoology, Gembloux Agricultural University, Passage des Déportés 2, B-5030, Gembloux, Belgium. francis.f@fsagx.ac.be
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Haubruge
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gaspar
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Dierickx
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids / Q000201:enzymology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007700:Kinetics; D013045:Species Specificity; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D005982:Glutathione Transferase