Regulation of digestive proteolytic activity in the larvae of Spilosoma obliqua (Lep., Arctiidae) |
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| Authors: | A. Anwar,& M. Saleemuddin |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Program in Molecular Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado, USA,;Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences and Institute of Biotechnology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India |
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| Abstract: | Proteolytic activity from the guts of the lepidopteran larvae Spilosoma obliqua was studied in relation to the developmental stages. The activity was found to increase with the advancement in the age of larvae and decreased with the onset of pupation. Starvation of fifth instar larvae, which exhibited maximum proteolytic activity, led to an increase at 8 h and declined further. There seems to be a possible relationship between the availability of the food and secretion of the enzymatic activity. The optimum pH and temperature for the gut protease was 11.0 and 50°C, respectively. Incubation of the gut protease for 24 h at 37°C led to a decrease in 52% of the activity, whereas there was a decrease of 17% in the activity at 4°C. No evidence could be found for the existence of the protease as an inactive precursor. The alkaline properties of the digestive protease seem to have all the potential to be exploited commercially as a additive in various biological formulations. |
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