ELECTROPHORETIC SEPARATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF ESTERASES IN EGGS AND YOUNG NYMPHS OF THE LARGE MILKWEED BUG, ONCOPELTUS FASCIATUS (DALLAS)

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Abstract
The soluble or lyo- esterases from the developing embryo and the young nymph of the large milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus (Dallas), have been separated by a starch gel electrophoretic method. With the substrate α-naphthyl acetate, 14 bands of esterase activity occurred in the 2-day-old egg and this number increased to 19 in the 1-day-otd nymph. Variation in the intensity of esterase activity also occurred during development; the activity of some esterases increased while that of others decreased. An attempt was made to classify the separated enzymes as cholinesterases, aliesterases, and aromatic esterases according to their reactions to certain carbamate and organophosphate inhibitors. When these criteria were used, no cholinesterase was found and two of the bands of esterase activity did not react as either aliesterase or aromatic esterase.