New cholinesterase inhibiting bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids from Abuta grandifolia

The phytochemical study of the stem bark and wood of Abuta grandifolia (Mart.) Sandwith led to the identification of four bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BBIQs), namely (R,S)-2 N-norberbamunine (1), (R,R)-isochondodendrine (2), (S-S)-O4″-methyl, Nb-nor-O6'-demethyl-(+)-curine (3), and (S-S)-O4″-methyl, O6'-demethyl-(+)-curine (4), together with the aporphine alkaloid R-nornuciferine (5), all obtained by countercurrent distribution separation (CCD) and identified on the basis of their spectroscopic data. Alkaloids 3 and 4 were new. All the isolated compounds were tested for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activities. 1 was the most active against AChE, whereas 3 and 4 were the most potent against BChE. Interestingly, all tested alkaloids are more potent against BChE than against AChE. This selectivity of cholinesterase (ChE) inhibition could be important in order to speculate on their potential therapeutic relevance.     

滤纸壳聚糖膜固定乙酰胆碱酯酶的研究

[目的]探索滤纸壳聚糖膜固定乙酰胆碱酯酶(AChE)的最佳条件。[方法]以滤纸壳聚糖膜为载体,戊二醛为交联剂,牛血清白蛋白(BSA)为保护剂,进行AChE的固定。并对固定化酶的理化性质进行研究。[结果]固定AChE的最佳条件为将50μl 150 U/mlAChE液,50μl 5%(V/V)戊二醛溶液,100μl 1%(W/W)BSA,pH 8.0的0.2 mol/L的PBS缓冲液配制成1 ml酶液,滤纸壳聚糖膜浸于该酶液4℃固定8 h。固定化酶的最适反应温度为37℃,最适pH为8.0,能够重复利用4次以上。[结论]该研究为利用AChE快速检测蔬菜水果中有机磷农药残留提供了理论依据。     

Boric acid toxicity to the German cockroach, Blattella germanica: Alterations in midgut structure, and acetylcholinesterase and glutathione S-transferase activity

Oral toxicity of boric acid, an inorganic insecticide, was evaluated on German cockroach, Blattella germanica L. (Dictyoptera, Blattellidae). Newly emerged adults were exposed to various concentrations of boric acid incorporated into the diet. Results showed that treated insects exhibited toxic symptoms with a dose-dependent mortality. Histological study of midgut revealed alterations in the epithelial cells and a significant increase in the epithelium thickness. In a second series of experiments, the compound was investigated on the activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and glutathione S-transferases (GSTs). Data showed that the compound induced GSTs and reduced the activity of AChE. From this experiment, it may be concluded that ingested boric acid caused death of insects perhaps ultimately by starvation via alterations of the midgut. Additionally, the compound seemed to present a neurotoxic action as evidenced by the symptoms of poisoning and the reduction in AchE activity.     

乙酰胆碱酯酶的晶体结构及功能位点

乙酰胆碱酯酶晶体结构研究表明 ,ACh E存在一个深而窄的谷 ,谷底部有一个活性位点 ,它是由催化三联体和所谓的阴离子亚位点组成。阴离子亚位点识别底物的四价铵基团 ;由 Glu32 7、His4 4 0和 Ser2 0 0构成的催化三联体负责底物乙酰胆碱的水解。在谷的入口处 ,有一个调节位点被称为外周阴离子位点 ,残基 Trp84和 Trp2 79分别在催化和外周的阴离子位点起关键作用。朝着谷底部方向存在一个强的静电偶极子 ,该偶极子对阳离子产物胆碱的清除是非常不利的 ,并与酶的高催化效率形成明显对照。位于催化口袋底部的后门开放为产物释放提供了另一种途径 ,但对后门学说的争论仍然十分激烈。X-衍射晶体学与化学修饰研究有助于阐明配基结合活性中心谷特异性的分子基础。位点特异性突变分析在确定氨基酸残基参与乙酰胆碱酯酶空间结构或催化功能中起着非常重要的作用。     

球孢白僵菌侵染对桑天牛幼虫解毒酶活性的影响

为明确球孢白僵菌(Beauveria bassiana)对桑天牛(Apriona germari Hope)的致病机制,探讨了球孢白僵菌侵染对桑天牛幼虫解毒酶系的影响,对用球孢白僵菌处理后不同时间桑天牛幼虫体内羧酸酯酶、谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶和乙酰胆碱酯酶活性进行了测定。结果表明球孢白僵菌对上述3种酶的活性有显著影响,其中对羧酸酯酶和谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶活性的影响,均表现出先刺激后抑制的作用;而对乙酰胆碱酯酶活性的影响则呈先抑制后激活再抑制再激活的趋势。     

烟粉虱与温室白粉虱羧酸酯酶、谷胱甘肽转移酶和乙酰胆碱酯酶性质的比较研究

对温室白粉虱 Trialeurodes vaporariorum和烟粉虱 Bemisia tabaci羧酸酯酶(Car E)、乙酰胆碱酯酶 (ACh E)和谷胱甘肽转移酶 (GSTs)的生物化学性质进行了初步研究。比较 Car E活性 ,烟粉虱显著高于温室白粉虱 ,烟粉虱和温室白粉虱 Car E对底物乙酸 -α-萘酯的 Km 分别为 0 .073mmol/ L 和 3.458mmol/ L。烟粉虱 ACh E活性分布高峰在 2～3m OD/ (min·头 )之间 ,而温室白粉虱 ACh E活性分布高峰在 10～ 15 m OD/ (min·头 )之间 ,烟粉虱 ACh E的 Km 值是温室白粉虱 Km 值的 12 .6倍。烟粉虱的 GSTs比活力为2 .218OD/ (mg pro·min) ,显著高于温室白粉虱的 GSTs比活力 0 .663OD/ (mg pro· min) ,差异达极显著水平 ,烟粉虱 GSTs对底物的亲和力比温室白粉虱高。     

蛇足石杉体内抑制乙酰胆碱酯酶活性物质的内生真菌的分离

[目的]从蛇足石杉体内分离筛选出具有体外抑制乙酰胆碱酯酶活性的内生真菌。[方法]取野外采集的蛇足石杉的叶、茎和根进行表面消毒后接种于PDA培养基,分离出内生真菌后进行摇瓶发酵,超声提取其发酵产物,以DTNB法检测其发酵产物在体外抑制乙酰胆碱酯酶的活性。[结果]从根、茎、叶中分离得到194株内生真菌,在马铃薯葡萄糖液体培养基(PDB)中发酵后,对内生真菌发酵提取液进行体外AChE抑制活性检测;共有31株内生真菌显示出体外AChE抑制活性,抑制活性较强的有13株,抑制率在50.2%～80.5%。其中从蛇足石杉茎部位分离得到9株,叶部位分离得到4株。[结论]从蛇足石杉体内可分离出内生真菌,该内生真菌的发酵产物在体外有较强的抑制乙酰胆碱酯酶活性,这可能是寻找乙酰胆碱酯酶抑制药物的有效途径之一。     

Diversity and frequencies of genetic mutations involved in insecticide resistance in field populations of the house fly (Musca domestica L.) from China

Insecticides have been extensively used for house fly control in China, with dichlorvos and deltamethrin being widely used. Knowledge about the current status of insecticide resistance and the underlying genetic changes is crucial for developing effective fly control strategies. The susceptibility to dichlorvos and deltamethrin, and the frequencies of genetic mutations involved in insecticide resistance were studied in five field populations of the house fly collected across China. Bioassay results show that flies exhibit 14- to 28-fold resistance to dichlorvos and 41- to 94-fold resistance to deltamethrin, indicating that dichlorvos and deltamethrin resistance are common in house fly populations in China. Molecular analysis reveals that flies from the five various locations carry resistance alleles at multiple loci and have diverse allelic types, different relative frequencies and combinations of each allele. Four non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (i.e. V260L, G342A/V, F407Y) in acetylcholinesterase (Ace) and two mutations (W251L/S) in a carboxylesterase (MdαE7) were commonly present in the field house flies. The L1014H rather than L1014F mutation in the voltage sensitive sodium channel gene (Vssc) was widely distributed in Chinese house flies. CYP6D1v1, which confers pyrethroid resistance, was found in all the five tested populations in China, although its frequency in house fly from Shandong province was very low. Our results suggest that resistance monitoring and management of house flies should be customized for a given location.     

Molecular characterization of two acetylcholinesterase genes from the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which is encoded by the ace gene, catalyzes the hydrolysis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine to terminate nerve impulses at the postsynaptic membrane. AChE is a primary target of many insecticides including organophosphates (OP) and carbamates (CB). In this study, full-length cDNA sequences of two ace genes (Nlace1 and Nlace2) were sequenced from the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens, the most destructive insect pest of rice crops. Nlace1 cDNA is 2842 nucleotides long and contains an ORF potentially encoding a 790 amino acid peptide. Nlace2 cDNA is 2852 bp in length and contains an ORF that potentially encodes a 672 amino acid peptide. NlAChE1 has an identity of 40% with NlAChE2 at the amino acid sequence level. Phylogenetic analysis of 59 AChEs from 32 animal species showed that NlAChE1 is most closely related to AChE1s from Blattella germanica and Nephotettix cincticeps, while NlAChE2 is most closely related to AChE2 from N. cincticeps. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that Nlace1 is expressed at a much higher level than Nlace2 in all developmental stages and tissues, demonstrating that NlAChE1 may be the dominant AChE form of the two enzymes. This result will help reveal the resistance mechanism of N. lugens to organophosphorous and carbamate insecticides and promote development of more selective insecticides targeting the main NlAChE1.     

Comparisons of Properties of Acetylcholinesterase from Two Field-Collected Populations of Oxya chinensis Thunberg (Orthoptera: Acrididae) and the Role of Acetylcholinesterase in the Susceptibility to Malathion

In this study, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was extracted from two field-collected populations of Oxya chinensis (Xinxiang City, Henan Province and Changzhi City, Shanxi Province). AChE activities were decreased when concentrations of ATC increased, showing a characteristic phenomenon of substrate inhibition at high concentration in both populations. Such inhibition occurred at relatively low concentration for AChE from Xinxiang population but relatively high for AChE from Changzhi population. The kinetic study showed that there were no significant differences between the two populations in the Km values. The Km value in Changzhi population was only 1.09-fold higher than that in Xinxiang population. However,significant differences were observed between the two populations in Vmax values. The Vmaxvalue in Changzhi population was 1.32-fold higher than that in Xinxiang population. The inhibition study in vitro showed that the AChE from both populations exhibited similar rank order in sensitivity to inhibition by three OPs, as determined by comparison of their bimolecular rate constants (ki), from the most potent inhibition to the least was chlopyrifos-oxon ＞ paraoxon ＞demeton-s-methyl for AChE from the two populations and that the ki values in Xinxiang population were lower than those in Changzhi population. The I50 values of AChE from Xinxiang population were 4.84-, 2.66-, and 1.92-fold less sensitive to inhibition by paraoxon, chlopyrifos-oxon, and demeton-s-methyl. These results were consistent with the results in bioassay. It is inferred that AChE insensitivity to OP insecticides plays an important role in the differences of insusceptibility of Oxya chinensis to malathion between the two populations.