ADENOSINETRIPHOSPHATASE ACTIVITY OF AMERICAN COCKROACH AND WOODROACH THORACIC MUSCLE

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Abstract
1. The adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) activity of the thoracic muscle of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, and the woodroach, Leucophaea maderae, was studied. The optimum conditions for eliciting maximum ATPase activity of the muscle of these two species are: 0.2 ml. of 0.01 M ATP, 0.05 ml. of 0.04 M CaCl2 2H2O, 0.15 ml. of 0.5 M diethylbarbiturate buffer of pH 7.4, and 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15 ml. of one per cent homogenate. 2. The ATPase activity of the muscle from females was activated less by calcium than was that of the male American cockroach. The degree of calcium activation of the ATPase of the female woodroach muscle was intermediate between that of the male and female cockroach muscle. 3. The ATPase activity of muscle from female American cockroaches 10 to 30 days of age was greater than that of male roaches of the same ages. Present results suggest that there is not a difference in the ATPase activity of muscle from male and female woodroaches.