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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Functional Characterization of Carboxylesterases in Insecticide Resistant House Flies, Musca Domestica
Published on: August 23, 2018
Cloning and characterization of insect arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase from Bombyx mori
Taketo Tsugehara1, Sachio Iwai, Yoshihiro Fujiwara
1Division of Molecular Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kobe University, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
Abstract:
Arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT) catalyzes N-acetylation of arylarkylamines. A cDNA of Bombyx mori insect AANAT (Bm-iAANAT) was found by searching an expressed-sequence tag (EST) database of B. mori (SilkBase). The cDNA encoded a 261 amino acid protein. The mRNA of Bm-iAANAT was expressed in eggs, larvae, adults and various tissues. Recombinant Bm-iAANAT protein was expressed in Sf9 cells by a baculovirus expression system. The AANAT activity of Bm-iAANAT was inhibited by high concentrations (over 0.01 mM) of tryptamine used as a substrate. The Bm-iAANAT acetylated tryptamine, serotonin, dopamine, octopamine, tyramine and norepinephrine. This is the first report of a cloned AANAT that acetylated norepinephrine. These results suggest that Bm-iAANAT is a novel member of insect AANAT family with unique kinetic properties and a broad substrate range.
