草地贪夜蛾对三种寄主植物的取食选择性及其适应性研究

为了解草地贪夜蛾对玉米、甘蔗和水稻的取食选择性及适应性,分别采用叶碟法和叶面积法在有选择和非选择条件下测定草地贪夜蛾各龄幼虫对3种寄主植物的取食偏好,并通过测定幼虫体重增长速率和蛹重,初步明确草地贪夜蛾对3种寄主植物的适应性。结果表明,草地贪夜蛾在有选择条件下和非选择条件下均表现出对玉米的偏好。但随着龄期的增长对玉米的取食偏好会逐渐减弱,在有选择条件下6龄幼虫在玉米和水稻上的选择取食率无显著差异,分别为32%和23%,在非选择条件下6龄幼虫取食3种寄主植物的叶面积无显著差异。取食3种寄主植物后幼虫体重增长均能与Logisitic生长模型较好拟合,取食玉米的幼虫体重增长速率最快,蛹重也最重。表明了当前新入侵广西地区的草地贪夜蛾种群对玉米的取食偏好要高于对甘蔗和水稻。     

草地贪夜蛾幼虫在玉米和小麦上的取食和生长发育特性比较

【目的】评估草地贪夜蛾Spodoptera frugiperda转移至小麦上为害和暴发的风险。【方法】采用室内饲养观察与调查统计的方法,测定和比较了23℃下草地贪夜蛾在玉米和小麦上的取食和生长发育特性及种群生命表参数。【结果】草地贪夜蛾在小麦上可以完成世代,其3龄后幼虫取食小麦的取食量及体重指标显著地高于同处理后时间在玉米上取食的;而食物利用效率、幼虫存活率、幼虫发育历期、卵孵化率均显著低于取食玉米的。取食玉米和取食小麦的草地贪夜蛾的平均蛹重、产卵前期、单雌产卵量等指标间无显著差异。另外,生命表参数比较结果表明,取食玉米和取食小麦的草地贪夜蛾的平均世代周期(T)、内禀增长率(r_m)和周限增长率(λ)间均无显著差异,取食玉米的草地贪夜蛾的净增殖率(R₀)为303.55±2.04,显著高于取食小麦的。【结论】草地贪夜蛾取食小麦时,生长发育速度快,能够完成世代生活史,但其食物利用效率、种群繁殖能力等却均低于取食玉米时,说明草地贪夜蛾更适宜在玉米上取食为害,存在转移至小麦为害的风险,但考虑到虫源、自然温度等条件,草地贪夜蛾在小麦上暴发的风险较小。本研...     

草地贪夜蛾对5种寄主植物和6种杂草的取食选择性和适应性

为明确草地贪夜蛾Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith对不同寄主植物和主要杂草的取食选择及适应性,以玉米Zea mays、甘蔗Saccharum officinarum、花生Arachis hypogaea、大豆Glycine max、香蕉Musa nana、稗草Echinochloa crusgalli、马唐Digitaria sanguinalis、牛筋草Eleusine indica、莎草Cyperus rotundus、马齿苋Portulaca oleracea、鹅肠草Malachium aquaticum作为寄主,采用叶碟法测定草地贪夜蛾各龄幼虫对5种寄主植物和6种杂草的取食偏好,并测定了不同虫态的发育历期、单头蛹重、化蛹率以及单雌产卵量等。结果表明,草地贪夜蛾在5种寄主植物和6种杂草上均可完成世代发育。寄主作物中,香蕉处理的草地贪夜蛾成虫前期最长,为29.66 d;甘蔗处理下草地贪夜蛾蛹重和化蛹率分别为250.44 mg和71.67%,显著低于玉米和花生处理的蛹重和化蛹率;草地贪夜蛾取食花生后单雌产卵量最高,为768.93粒,与玉米上产卵量差异不显著,香蕉上最低,为498.76粒;1~2龄幼虫对玉米和香蕉的取食选择率有显著差异,3~6龄幼虫对玉米取食选择率显著高于其他寄主植物。6种杂草中取食莎草的成虫前期最长30.21 d,且单雌产卵量最低526.33粒;取食鹅肠草蛹重最低188.00 mg;取食马齿苋化蛹率最低为72.37%;草地贪夜蛾取食马唐后其蛹重、化蛹率、单雌产卵量最高,与取食其它5种杂草有显著性差异;2~4龄幼虫更偏向取食马唐,与其它5种差异显著。研究结果表明：寄主植物种类对草地贪夜蛾的生长发育有显著影响,其中草地贪夜蛾对玉米和马唐具有较高的取食偏好。     

草地贪夜蛾对水稻和玉米的取食和产卵选择性与适合度

【目的】明确草地贪夜蛾Spodoptera frugiperda对寄主植物水稻和玉米的取食和产卵选择性与适合度,进而分析草地贪夜蛾对水稻的为害风险。【方法】采用自由选择法,测定草地贪夜蛾对水稻和玉米的取食、产卵选择性。调查取食水稻和玉米苗的草地贪夜蛾的生长发育、存活率、繁殖力的差异,用种群增长趋势指数(I)评价水稻对草地贪夜蛾的适合度。【结果】草地贪夜蛾对水稻和玉米的取食和产卵选择性存在显著差异。接虫后2-48 h,幼虫对玉米的取食选择率随时间延长而逐渐增加,而幼虫对水稻的取食选择率随时间延长而逐渐降低;接虫后48 h,2龄幼虫和4龄幼虫对玉米的取食选择率分别为93.06%和59.72%,分别是对水稻的取食选择率的66.95倍和21.48倍。自由产卵6 d,在玉米上的产卵量是在水稻上的8.64倍。与取食玉米苗的相比,取食水稻苗的草地贪夜蛾幼虫发育历期延长,卵孵化率、幼虫存活率、化蛹率和成虫羽化率均显著降低,雌性比率下降,雌成虫寿命显著缩短,单雌产卵量显著减少。取食玉米苗的草地贪夜蛾的种群增长趋势指数(I)为165.93,其在水稻上的相对适合度为0.21。【结论】相较于水稻,草地贪夜蛾在...     

草地贪夜蛾对玉米和高粱的产卵选择及寄主适合度

【目的】旨在明确草地贪夜蛾Spodopterafrugiperda在玉米和高粱上的产卵选择性和寄主适合度,为草地贪夜蛾的科学防控提供依据。【方法】在室内25℃条件下,采用叶片饲养观察的方法,比较草地贪夜蛾在玉米和高粱上的产卵量、取食量以及食物利用效率,并构建实验种群生命表。【结果】草地贪夜蛾偏好在玉米叶片背面产卵,其平均卵块数最多,达到（3.40±0.55）块,且平均产卵量达到（346.00±72.55）粒。取食玉米的草地贪夜蛾幼虫存活率显著高于取食高粱的（P<0.05）,两者的平均存活率分别为98.89%和86.78%;在取食后5、6和7 d时,取食玉米的草地贪夜蛾幼虫食物利用效率显著高于取食高粱的（P<0.05）;取食玉米的草地贪夜蛾幼虫发育总历期显著短于取食高粱的（P<0.05）;在生命表参数比较中,取食玉米的草地贪夜蛾种群的净增殖率（R0）显著高于取食高粱的（P<0.05）,两者的平均净增殖率分别为（415.93±69.69）和（372.45±34.70）。【结论】草地贪夜蛾在玉米和高粱上均能完成生活史,玉米表现出更高的寄主适合度。但由于草地贪夜蛾在高粱上亦有较高的寄主适合度,且玉米和高粱生育期几近相同,因此在我国西南高粱种植面积较大地区,尤需提前防范草地贪夜蛾从玉米转移至高粱为害的风险。     

氯虫苯甲酰胺和甲维盐对草地贪夜蛾幼虫的毒力及解毒酶活性的影响

为了研究氯虫苯甲酰胺和甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐(甲维盐)对草地贪夜蛾Spodoptera frugiperda的毒杀作用及解毒机制,采用叶片浸渍法测定了2种杀虫剂对草地贪夜蛾3龄幼虫的LC_(10)、LC_(20)与LC_(50),并研究这2种农药的亚致死剂量(LC_(20))对幼虫的羧酸酯酶(CarE)、谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶(GST)、细胞色素P450(CYP450)3种主要解毒酶活性的影响。结果表明甲维盐对3龄幼虫的毒力更高,48 h时LC_(10)、LC_(20)、LC_(50)分别为0.005、0.007、0.013 mg/L。2种农药处理72 h内,幼虫的3种酶活力呈现不同的动态变化。氯虫苯甲酰胺对CarE活力表现先诱导后抑制的作用,在24 h时CarE活力最大(36.75 U/mg);甲维盐对CarE活力表现先抑制后诱导的作用,在72 h时CarE活力最大(42.44 U/mg)。2种农药对GST活性在72 h内的变化一致,均呈现"诱导-抑制-诱导"的规律。氯虫苯甲酰胺处理后CYP450活性与对照相比无显著差异;甲维盐处理36 h、48 h、72 h幼虫体内CYP450活性均显著低于对照。     

不同品种玉米对草地贪夜蛾生长发育及繁殖的影响

为评价新入侵害虫草地贪夜蛾对我国不同品种玉米的为害潜能,本文采用组建实验种群生命表的方法研究了草地贪夜蛾对3种甜质型玉米(穗甜1号、正甜68和华金甜1号)以及3种糯质型玉米(京科糯2000、广黑甜糯和广糯1号)的生存适合度,分析了草地贪夜蛾生物学指标与玉米叶片主要营养物质及粗纤维含量间的相关性。结果表明: 取食甜质型玉米的草地贪夜蛾的幼虫存活率、蛹重、雌成虫产卵量均显著高于取食糯质型玉米;取食甜质型玉米草地贪夜蛾的内禀增长率介于0.1566～0.1843,净生殖力介于187.97～353.35,也均高于取食糯质型玉米(内禀增长率介于0.0998～0.1465,净生殖力介于25.89～95.34),表明取食甜质型玉米的草地贪夜蛾具有更高的种群增长能力。甜质型玉米叶片中主要营养物质维生素C、淀粉、可溶性糖、蛋白质、脂肪、总氨基酸及粗纤维的含量普遍高于糯质型玉米,草地贪夜蛾的净生殖力与维生素C、淀粉、可溶性糖、蛋白质及粗纤维的含量均存在显著正相关关系。草地贪夜蛾在甜质型玉米上具有更高的生存适合度。     

草地贪夜蛾对2种豆科蔬菜的取食和产卵选择性及其适应性研究

草地贪夜蛾Spodoptera frugiperda是一种多食性昆虫,为明确该害虫对不同寄主的选择性和适生性,本文比较了草地贪夜蛾对玉米Zea mays、豇豆Vigna unguiculata和四季豆Phaseolus vulgaris等3种寄主的取食及产卵偏好性,并分析了取食不同寄主对其生长发育及繁殖的影响。结果表明：草地贪夜蛾低龄幼虫(初孵幼虫和2龄)对玉米叶和豇豆叶表现出取食偏好性,而高龄幼虫(3龄和5龄)对3种寄主不同组织的取食选择性无明显差异;草地贪夜蛾取食3种寄主植物均可以完成世代发育,但取食豇豆叶和四季豆叶的幼虫历期、蛹历期显著变短,化蛹率、羽化率显著降低;取食豇豆叶对其蛹重、成虫寿命无显著影响,但取食四季豆叶的蛹重显著变轻、雄成虫寿命显著变短;种群生命表参数显示,草地贪夜蛾在3种寄主上的繁殖力表现为玉米叶(1 138.29)>豇豆叶(1 179.00)>四季豆叶(585.50),处理间差异显著;取食2种非嗜好寄主的种群内禀增长率(r_m)和周限增长率(λ)均显著降低,平均世代历期(T)显著延长,取食豇豆叶的雌雄性比显著降低;草地贪夜蛾对寄...     

草地贪夜蛾在不同小麦品种上的取食选择性和适应性及其与叶片生化物质含量的关系

[目的]测定草地贪夜蛾Spodoptera frugiperda在不同小麦品种上的取食选择性及适应性,探索害虫为害与小麦品种间的关系,明确黄淮海麦区主栽小麦品种对草地贪夜蛾的抗性水平,为麦田抗虫品种布局和害虫综合防治提供理论依据.[方法]比较了草地贪夜蛾1和3龄幼虫对15个小麦品种的取食选择性,初步筛选出1和3龄幼虫取...     

三种杀虫剂亚致死剂量对草地贪夜蛾细胞色素P450基因表达的影响

【目的】为明确杀虫剂亚致死剂量对草地贪夜蛾Spodoptera frugiperda细胞色素P450基因表达的影响。【方法】本研究采用叶片浸渍法测定了3种杀虫剂[氯虫苯甲酰胺、甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐和苏云金杆菌Bacillus thuringiensis(Bt)]对草地贪夜蛾2龄幼虫的毒力,以及通过实时荧光定量PCR(real-time quantitative PCR, RT-qPCR)技术测定了这3种杀虫剂亚致死剂量(LC₁₀)处理后48 h时草地贪夜蛾2龄幼虫16个P450基因的表达量。【结果】氯虫苯甲酰胺、甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐和Bt对草地贪夜蛾2龄幼虫的LC₁₀值分别为0.931, 0.283和1 089.688 mg/L。2龄幼虫受LC₁₀氯虫苯甲酰胺胁迫后,13个P450基因(CYP4G75,CYP6AB12,CYP6B50,CYP321A7,CY321A8,CYP321A9,CYP321A10,CYP321B1,CYP337B5,CYP9A59,CYP9A58,CYP6AE44及CYP6AE43)表达上调...     

Patterns of mitochondrial development in reserve tissues of germinated seeds: A survey

Patterns of mitochondrial development in reserve tissues of several species of seeds were examined during 3 to 4 days after the start of imbibition. In starch-storing seeds (cowpea, kidney bean, Egyptian kidney bean, mung bean, black gram and soybean), mitochondrial activities (state 3 respiration rate, respiratory control ratio) increased during the first 1 to 2 days after imbibition and leveled off thereafter. The initial increase in the activities was little affected by cycloheximide and chloramphenicol. Activities of mitochondrial enzymes (succinate dehydrogenase, EC 1.3.99.1; NAD⁺-malate dehydrogenase, EC 1.1.1.37; cytochrome oxidase, EC 1.9.3.1) did not change much during the experimental period. This suggests that mitochondrial development in starch-storing seeds is primarily due to improvement of pre-existing mitochondria. On the other hand, in the lipid-storing seeds examined (pumpkin, cucumber, okra and castor bean), the rate of mitochondrial respiration and activities of mitochondrial enzymes continued to increase markedly during the experimental period. These increases were strongly inhibited by cycloheximide and chloramphenicol. This indicates that active de novo synthesis of mitochondrial proteins is primarily responsible for the development of organelle activities. The possibility was suggested that the patterns of mitochondrial development in reserve tissues of imbibed seeds might be determined by the kinds of reserve substances.     

Expression, purification, refolding and characterization of a putative lysophospholipase from Pyrococcus furiosus: retention of structure and lipase/esterase activity in the presence of water-miscible organic solvents at high temperatures

A putative lysophospholipase (PF0480) encoded by the Pyrococcus furiosus genome has previously been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Studies involving crude extracts established the enzyme to be an esterase; however, owing presumably to its tendency to precipitate into inclusion bodies, purification and characterization have thus far not been reported. Here, we report the overexpression and successful recovery and refolding of the enzyme from inclusion bodies. Dynamic light scattering suggests that the enzyme is a dimer, or trimer, in aqueous solution. Circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy show, respectively, that it has mixed beta/alpha structure and well-buried tryptophan residues. Conformational changes are negligible over the temperature range of 30–80 °C, and over the concentration range of 0–50% (v/v) of water mixtures with organic solvents such as methanol, ethanol and acetonitrile. The enzyme is confirmed to be an esterase (hydrolyzing p-NP-acetate and p-NP-butyrate) and also shown to be a lipase (hydrolyzing p-NP-palmitate), with lipolytic activity being overall about 18- to 20-fold lower than esterase activity. Against p-NP-palmitate the enzyme displays optimally activity at pH 7.0 and 70 °C. Remarkably, over 50% activity is retained at 70 °C in the presence of 25% acetonitrile. The high organic solvent stability and thermal stability suggest that this enzyme may have useful biodiesel-related applications, or applications in the pharmaceutical industry, once yields are optimized.     

Lytic enzyme complex of an antagonistic Bacillus sp. X-b: isolation and purification of components

Bacillus sp. X-b, a biocontrol agent against certain plant pathogenic fungi, secretes a complex of hydrolytic enzymes, composed of chitinase, chitosanase, laminarinase, lipase and protease. Homogenized mycelium of basidiomycete Macrolepiota procera induced activities of these enzymes more effectively than colloidal chitin or partially purified cell walls of another basidiomycete Polyporus squamosus. Subjected to a multi-step purification, the specific activity of chitinase increased 36-fold, chitosanase 69-fold, lipase 44-fold and laminarinase 15-fold. Partially purified chitinase showed two major bands with molecular masses of 46 000 and 35 000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis while chitosanase and lipase appeared as single bands with molecular masses of 27 000 and 62 000, respectively.     

阿维菌素对半闭弯尾姬蜂保护酶系和解毒酶系的影响

为明确阿维菌素对半闭弯尾姬蜂保护酶系和解毒酶系的影响,采用试管药膜法以阿维菌素亚致死浓度(LC10和LC25)处理半闭弯尾姬蜂成虫,分别于处理后1、12、24和48 h测定其体内保护酶和解毒酶活性变化。结果表明,阿维菌素亚致死浓度处理后,随着时间的延长,对寄生蜂体内超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)和过氧化物酶(POD)活性总体表现为诱导作用;对过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性表现为先抑制后诱导作用;对酯酶(EST)、谷胱甘肽S-转移酶(GST)和多功能氧化酶(MFO)具有显著的抑制作用。研究结果为深入了解半闭弯尾姬蜂对阿维菌素的防御机理提供了一定的理论基础。     

Interactions of betulinic acid with xenobiotic metabolizing and antioxidative enzymes in DMBA-treated Sprague Dawley female rats

Cancer chemoprevention is related to classical epidemiology and involves the use of agents that inhibit, delay, or reverse the carcinogenesis that occurs as a result of accumulation of mutations and increased proliferation. Betulinic acid is known for its cytotoxic effects against a panel of cancer cell lines. In the present study, interactions of betulinic acid (BA) with xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes including mixed function oxidases (cytochrome b5, P420, P450, NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase, and NADH cytochrome b5 reductase), phase II enzymes (GST, DT-diaphorase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase), LDH, antioxidative enzymes (glutathione reductase, SOD, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and guaiacol peroxidase), and lipid peroxidation are studied alone as well as in the presence of 7,12 dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA)—a potent carcinogen using Sprague Dawley female rats. The effect of BA on reduced glutathione content and protein content is also taken into consideration. It has been found that administration of BA decreased the level of mixed function oxidases that are involved in the conversion of carcinogen to electrophile, elevated the level of phase II enzymes which participated in the removal of electrophiles by sulfation, conjugation etc. It has been found that BA effectively removed or neutralized the reactive species by the action of phase II enzymes and such an effect was reflected from the specific activities of antioxidative enzymes which were found to be lower as compared to positive control (DMBA-treated group) and in some cases even that of untreated control. BA was also found to have a pronounced effect in protecting the animals from lipid peroxidation as evident from the reduced levels of TBARS, conjugated diene, and lipid hydroperoxide formation. This study highlights the role of BA in modulating the activities of xenobiotic and antioxidative enzymes that have putative roles in cancer initiation and proliferation.     

Comparative Effects of Dietary Fat Types on Hepatic Enzyme Activities Related to the Synthesis and Oxidation of Fatty Acid and to Lipogenesis in Rats

The effects of different types of dietary fat on the activities of hepatic enzymes related to fatty acid synthesis {glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase ACC)}, oxidation {acyl-CoA synthetase (AST), carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT), and peroxisomal β-oxidation (P βOX)}, and lipogenesis {phosphatidate phosphohydrolase (PAP), diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT), and phosphocholine diacylglycerol transferase (PCDGT)}, and plasma and liver lipid levels were investigated in male Wistar rats. The animals were 6 weeks old and about 120 g of body weight, and were fed on test diets containing 20% of a mixture of tripalmitin, tristearin and corn oil (SFA), olive oil (OLI), sunflower oil (SUN), linseed oil (LIS), and sardine oil (SAR) for 2 weeks. The concentrations of plasma total cholesterol (T-CHOL), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-CHOL), triacylglycerol (TG) and phospholipid (PL) were generally higher in the rats fed on SEA and OLI than in those given SUN, LIS and SAR. The rats fed on OLI had a higher level of liver T-CHOL than those fed on the other fats. The liver TG content was nearly higher from the intake of SFA and OLI than from SUN, LIS and SAR, although the liver PL level was not affected by the type of dietary fat. The SFA and OLI groups had the highest activities of hepatic G6PDH and ACC, and the SAR group, the lowest activities. The activities of AST and CPT, and peroxisomal P βOX in the liver were higher in the rats fed on the LIS and SAR diets than in those given the other diets. The hepatic PAP activity was higher from the intake of OLI and SUN, and tended to be higher from SFA than from LIS and SAR. The activity of liver DGAT was higher from SFA and inclined to be higher from OLI, SUN, and LIS than from SAR, while the PCDGT activity in the liver was not effected by the type of dietary fat. The concentrations of plasma and liver TG were generally positively correlated with the activities of liver enzymes related to the synthesis of fatty acids and lipids, and negatively with those involved in fatty acid oxidation. Based on these results, it is suggested that the levels of plasma and liver TG were controlled by different types of dietary fat through changes in the hepatic enzyme activities related to fatty acid synthesis, lipogenesis, and fatty acid oxidation.     

Antimicrobial enzymes: An emerging strategy to fight microbes and microbial biofilms

With the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance, antimicrobial enzymes aimed at the disruption of bacterial cellular machinery and biofilm formation are under intense investigation. Several enzyme-based products have already been commercialized for application in the healthcare, food and biomedical industries. Successful removal of complex biofilms requires the use of multi-enzyme formulations that contain enzymes capable of degrading microbial DNA, polysaccharides, proteins and quorum-sensing molecules. The inclusion of anti-quorum sensing enzymes prevents biofilm reformation. The development of effective complex enzyme formulations is urgently needed to deal with the problems associated with biofilm formation in manufacturing, environmental protection and healthcare settings. Nevertheless, advances in synthetic biology, enzyme engineering and whole DNA-Sequencing technologies show great potential to facilitate the development of more effective antimicrobial and anti-biofilm enzymes.     

Human Phenol Sulfotransferase: Correlation of Brain and Platelet Activities

Phenol sulfotransferase (PST; EC 2.8.2.1) catalyzes the sulfate conjugation of phenolic and catechol neurotransmitters and drugs. The human blood platelet has been the most thoroughly studied source of PST because of the possibility that the regulation of the enzyme in this easily accessible tissue might reflect the regulation of PST in the CNS. The human brain and platelet contain at least two forms of PST, forms designated as thermostable (TS) and thermolabile (TL) PST. TS PST catalyzes the sulfate conjugation of micromolar concentrations of phenol and p-nitrophenol and TL PST catalyzes the sulfate conjugation of dopamine and other monoamines. This study was performed to determine whether individual variations in the activities of human platelet TS and TL PST reflect individual variations in cerebral cortical PST activities. PST activities were measured in platelets and in cerebral cortical tissue obtained from 15 patients with epilepsy during clinically indicated neurosurgery. There was a highly significant correlation between the activities of the TS form of PST in cerebral cortex and platelets of these patients (r = 0.940, p less than 0.001), but there was not a significant correlation between activities of the TL form of PST in the two tissues (r = 0.396, p greater than 0.14). In addition to variations in the level of enzyme activity, there are also wide individual variations in the thermal stability of platelet TS PST.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Enzyme stabilization: state of the art

Enzyme stabilization is one of the most important fields in basic and applied enzymology. In basic enzymology, it is of particular relevance to understand enzyme stabilization principles first elucidating how and why the enzymes lose their biological activity and then deriving structure-stability relationships existing in enzymatic molecules. In applied enzymology, the most significant goal is to achieve useful compounds by biocatalysis. Enzymes are good catalysts in terms of high catalytic and specific activity with ability to function under mild conditions. However, they are not always ideal catalysts for practical applications because they are generally unstable and they inactivate rapidly through several mechanisms. In order to enhance enzyme stability, many strategies have been pursued in recent years. The present article is an attempt to provide detailed information about these strategies.     

Pectic and cellulolytic enzymes in soybeans

The dominant cell wall degrading enzymes detected in extracts from 6-day-old, dark grown, Lee soybean seedlings carried out random (endo) and hydrolytic cleavages of pectic acid, pectin and methylcellulose. The pH optima of these activities were 6·0, 6·5 and 5·7 respectively. Monogalacturonic acid and another unidentified product accumulated during the degradation of polygalacturonic acid.