0000000000115825
AUTHOR
M.d. Real
UDP-glucosyltransferase activity toward exogenous substrates in Drosophila melanogaster.
To investigate the capacity of Drosophila extracts to glucosylate exogenous substrates we have developed a fast and sensitive method for the detection of UDP-glucosyltransferase activity using 4-nitrophenol, 1-naphthol, or 2-naphthol as substrates. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to separate and quantitate the reaction products, allowing detection of activities that produced as little as 1 pmol of 2-naphthol glucoside (fluorescence detection) or 16 pmol of 4-nitrophenol glucoside (absorbance detection). Optimal activity was found at 43 degrees C and alkaline pH. The affinity of the Drosophila enzyme was 250-fold higher for 1-naphthol or 2-naphthol (Km approximately 4 microM)…
Resistance to the Bacillus thuringiensis bioinsecticide in a field population of Plutella xylostella is due to a change in a midgut membrane receptor.
The biochemical mechanism for resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis crystal proteins was studied in a field population of diamondback moths (Plutella xylostella) with a reduced susceptibility to the bioinsecticidal spray. The toxicity and binding characteristics of three crystal proteins [CryIA(b), CryIB, and CryIC] were compared between the field population and a laboratory strain. The field population proved resistant (greater than 200-fold compared with the laboratory strain) to CryIA(b), one of the crystal proteins in the insecticidal formulation. Binding studies showed that the two strains differ in a membrane receptor that recognizes CryIA(b). This crystal protein did not bind to the b…