title: Inactivation of an invertebrate acetylcholinesterase by sulfhydryl reagents: a reconsideration of the implications for insecticide design.
abstract: Previously we used site-directed mutagenesis, in vitro expression, and molecular modeling to investigate the inactivation of an invertebrate acetylcholinesterase, cholinesterase 2 from amphioxus, by the sulfhydryl reagents 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) and N-ethylmaleimide (NEM). We created the mutants C310A, C466A, C310A/C466A and C310A/F312I to assess the roles of the two cysteines and a proposal that the increased rate of inactivation previously found in an F312I mutant was due to increased access of sulfhydryl reagents to Cys310. Our results indicated that both of the cysteines could be involved in inactivation by sulfhydryl reagents, but that the cysteine near the acyl pocket was more accessible. We speculated that the inactivation of aphid AChEs by sulfhydryl reagents was due to the presence of a cysteine homologous to Cys310 and proposed that this residue could be a target for a specific insecticide. Here we reconsider this proposal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, AL 35254, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rowland
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tsigelny
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wolfe
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pezzementi
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D007306:Insecticides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000201:enzymology*; D013439:Sulfhydryl Reagents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D007306:Insecticides; D013439:Sulfhydryl Reagents; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase