Isoforms of leucyl-aminopeptidase of Cerambyx cerdo (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) larvae

Comparison of α-amylase isoforms from the midgut of Cerambyx cerdo L. (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) larvae developed in the wild and on an artificial diet

?-Amylase isoforms of Cerambyx cerdo larvae from the wild (ML and SL) and reared in the laboratory (ADL) were compared. Three amylase isoforms were presented in the SL and ML extracts while two isoforms were presented in the ADL according to zymogram after isoelectric focusing (IEF). All C. cerdo amylase isoforms were acidic proteins (pI < 3.5). Seven amylase isoforms (ACC 1-7) from the midgut of C. cerdo larvae were found in the ML midgut extract, six in the SL extract, and four in the ADL extract according to native PAGE zymogram. The ADL amylase had the highest activity. All crude midgut extracts of C. cerdo larvae were fractionated on a Superose 12 HR column. The molecular mass of the ACC was estimated to be 34 kDa. .

Purification and properties of major midgut leucyl aminopeptidase of Morimus funereus (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) larvae

The major leucyl aminopeptidase (LAP) from the midgut of Morimus funereus larvae was purified and characterised. Specific LAP activity was increased 292-fold by purification of the crude midgut extract. The purified enzyme had a pH optimum of 7.5 (optimum pH range 7.0-8.5) and preferentially hydrolysed p-nitroanilides containing hydrophobic amino acids in the active site, with the highest V(max)/K(M) ratio for leucine-p-nitroanilide (LpNA). Among a number of inhibitors tested, the most efficient were 1,10-phenanthroline having a K(i) value of 0.12 mM and cysteine with K(i) value of 0.31 mM, while EGTA stimulated LAP activity. Zn(2+), Mg(2+) and Mn(2+) all showed bi-modal effects on LAP activity (activated at low concentrations and inhibited at high concentrations). The purified LAP (after gel filtration on Superose 6 column) had molecular mass of 400 kDa with an isoelectric point of 6.2. Sodium dodecylsulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) revealed one band of 67 kDa, suggesting that the enzyme is a hexamer. Six peptide sequences from protein band were obtained using ESI/MS-MS analysis. Comparison of the obtained peptide sequences with the EMBL-EBI sequence analysis toolbox and the BLASTP database showed a high degree of identity with other insect aminopeptidases.