Characterization of hemolymph juvenile hormone esterase from Lymantria dispar

A major peak of juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) activity approaching 330 nmol JH III hydrolyzed/min/ml of hemolymph was observed during the last larval growth stage in Lymantria dispar. A smaller peak of JHE occurred 3–5 days after pupation. The gypsy moth JHE was purified from larval hemolymph using a classical approach. A specific activity of 766 units per mg of protein and a K_m of 3.6 × 10⁻⁷ M for racemic JH III and the (10R, 11S) enantiomer of JH II was determined for the purified enzyme. The 62 kDa esterase was insensitive to inhibition by O,O-diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate (DFP), or by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF). Two forms of JHE isolated by RP-HPLC were indistinguishable by HPLC tryptic peptide mapping and share an identical N-terminal amino acid sequence. Polyclonal antisera raised against gypsy moth enzyme cross-reacted with JHE from Trichoplusia ni but not with JHE from Manduca sexta. A weak cross-reactivity was observed with JHE from Heliothis virescens. Forty amino acid residues of the N-terminus were placed in sequence. The N-terminal sequence of JHE from L. dispar showed little homology to the sequence of JHE from H. virescens. The immunological and structural data support the conclusion that markedly different esterases, which catalyze the hydrolysis of juvenile hormone, are present in the hemolymph of different Lepidoptera.