Biochemical Properties of Acetylcholinesterase from the Larval Head of Bombyx mori

We investigated some biochemical properties of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the Bombyx mori larval head. 1% Triton X-100 (v/v) was suitable for extracting AChE from the silkworm larval head but 1 M NaCl was not suitable. PAGE analysis showed a single band of AChE that was detected by histochemical staining using acetylthiocholine as a substrate. AChE was also partially purified with Sepharose 6B and DEAE-cellulose column. Finally, the specific activity of partially purified enzyme solution was 7.6. The study on inhibitor specificity indicated that the enzyme under study was a true cholinesterase (ChE) or AChE. AChE activity was maximum at the substrate concentration of $5{\times}10^{-4}$ M and the excess substrate inhibited the AChE activity. The optimal pH and temperature were pH 7.0-9.0 and 30-35$^{\circ}C$.