Abstract

TORRES-CASTILLO, JORGE ARIEL et al. Intestinal proteases of Moneilema armatum (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) fed with Opuntia cladodes. Rev. Colomb. Entomol. [online]. 2015, vol.41, n.2, pp.249-256. ISSN 0120-0488.

This work provides an overview of proteolytic activity in the intestine of Moneilema armatum (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) adults and inhibition of such enzymes by proteins obtained from the cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica.  Active intestinal proteases were detected at a neutral and slightly alkaline pH through zymography and spectrophotometric assays using synthetic substrates. These enzymes were susceptible to a specific serine protease inhibitor (PMSF). It was also demonstrated that trypsin-, chymotrypsin-, and elastase-like activities were present. Although the cladodes of O. ficus-indica possess endogenous inhibitors of serine proteases, it appears that not all proteases of M. armatum were affected, particularly those with elastase-like activity. The results indicated that M. armatum exhibits a variety of serine protease activities, and some of these proteolytic activities were insensitive to endogenous O. ficus-indica protease inhibitors.

Keywords : Digestive proteases; Protease inhibitor; Zymography.

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