Biochemical Properties of Acetylcholinesterase from the Larval Head of Bombyx mori

Biochemical Properties of Acetylcholinesterase from the Larval Head of Bombyx mori

We investigated some biochemical properties of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the Bombyx mori larval head. 1% Triton X-100 (v/v) was suitable for extracting AChE from the silkworm larval head but 1 M NaCl was not suitable. PAGE analysis showed a single band of AChE that was detected by histochemical staining using acetylthiocholine as a substrate. AChE was also partially purified with Sepharose 6B and DEAE-cellulose column. Finally, the specific activity of partially purified enzyme solution was 7.6. The study on inhibitor specificity indicated that the enzyme under study was a true cholinesterase (ChE) or AChE. AChE activity was maximum at the substrate concentration of $5{\times}10^{-4}$ M and the excess substrate inhibited the AChE activity. The optimal pH and temperature were pH 7.0-9.0 and 30-35$^{\circ}C$.