Comparison of the Activity of Carboxylesterase and Acetylcholinesterase in Liposcelis bostrychophila and L. entomophila

The characteristics of carboxylesterase (CarE) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were investigated in Liposcelis bostrychophila and L. entomophila. The activity of CarE in L. entomophila was significantly higher than that in L. bostrychophila. The comparison of Michaelis constants (Km) of CarE between L. entomophila and L. bostrychophila showed that the affinity of the former to substrate-α-NA was much stronger than that of the latter. The activity of AChE in the two insects was similar. Totals of 8 and 7 esterase bands were detected on PAGE for L. bostrychophila and L. entomophila, respectively. And the esterase zymogram of L. bostrychophila was wider than that of L. entomophila.