Acetylcholinesterase of Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae): cDNA sequence, baculovirus expression, and biochemical properties

A 2193-nucleotide cDNA encoding acetylcholinesterase (AChE) of the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) was sequenced and expressed in the baculovirus system. The open reading frame encoded a 91 amino acid secretion signal peptide and a 613 amino acid mature protein with 96% and 94% identity to the AChEs of Haematobia irritans (L.) and Musca domestica (L.), respectively. Structural characteristics of M. domestica, H. irritans, and Drosophila melanogaster AChEs were conserved in the S. calcitrans AChE. The recombinant enzyme was inhibited by eserine, coroxon, and paraoxon and exhibited K_m values of 63.9 μM for acetylthiocholine and 96.7 μM for butyrylthiocholine, confirming its biochemical identity as an acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7). These data will enable rapid identification and assay for mutations that reduce AChE sensitivity to organophosphate (OP) pesticides, potentially aiding resistance management efforts to prevent fixation of the mutations in pest populations.