Juvenile hormone regulates the development and reproduction in a variety of insects. Juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) is a selective enzyme, which hydrolyzes the methyl ester of JH and alters its activity. In Tenebrio molitor, JHE has been previously purified from pupae and a partial cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR using fat body mRNA. The previous report indicated that several forms of the JHE protein were present in pupal homogenate. In this study, we report the full-length cDNA, which was obtained by RACE methods. The deduced protein sequence corresponds to peptides from two proteins of different molecular weights in the previous study. The coding region of the full-length cDNA was subcloned into the AcMNPV genome and high levels of expression of the JHE enzyme from the viral p10 promoter were demonstrated in cell culture. The majority of JHE is secreted from the cells as a soluble enzyme. The recombinant JHE enzyme was biochemically characterized. The recombinant protein appears by PAGE analysis as a monomer of approximately the same MW (66000) and pI (4.9) as was expected from the deduced amino acid sequence of the cDNA.
        
Title: Synthesis of new carboxylesterase inhibitors and evaluation of potency and water solubility Wheelock CE, Severson TF, Hammock BD Ref: Chemical Research in Toxicology, 14:1563, 2001 : PubMed
Carboxylesterases are essential enzymes in the hydrolysis and detoxification of numerous pharmaceuticals and pesticides. They are vital in mediating organophosphate toxicity and in activating many prodrugs such as the chemotherapeutic agent CPT-11. It is therefore important to study the catalytic mechanism responsible for carboxylesterase-induced hydrolysis, which can be accomplished through the use of potent and selective inhibitors. Trifluoromethyl ketone (TFK)-containing compounds are the most potent esterase inhibitors described to date. The inclusion of a thioether moiety beta to the carbonyl further increased TFK inhibitor potency. In this study, we have synthesized the sulfone analogues of a series of aliphatic and aromatic substituted thioether TFKs to evaluate their potency and solubility properties. This structural change shifted the keto/hydrate equilibrium from <9% hydrate to >95% hydrate, forming almost exclusively the gem-diol. These new compounds were evaluated for their inhibition of carboxylesterase activity in three different systems, rat liver microsomes, commercial porcine esterase, and juvenile hormone esterase in cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) hemolymph. The most potent inhibitor of rat liver carboxylesterase activity was 1,1,1-trifluoro-3-(decane-1-sulfonyl)-propan-2,2-diol, which inhibited 50% of the enzyme activity (IC(50)) at 6.3 +/- 1.3 nM and was 18-fold more potent than its thioether analogue. However, the sulfone derivatives were consistently poorer inhibitors of porcine carboxylesterase activity and juvenile hormone esterase activity, with IC(50) values ranging from low micromolar to millimolar. The compound 1,1,1-trifluoro-3-(octane-1-sulfonyl)-propan-2,2-diol was shown to have a 10-fold greater water solubility than its thioether analogue, 1,1,1-trifluoro-3-octylsulfanyl-propan-2-one (OTFP). These novel compounds provide further evidence of the differences between esterase orthologs, suggesting that additional development of esterase inhibitors may ultimately provide a battery of ortholog and/or isoform selective inhibitors analogous to those available for other complex enzyme families with overlapping substrate specificity.
        
Title: Insecticidal, anticholinesterase, and hydrolytic properties of S-aryl phosphoramidothioates Sanborn JR, Fukuto TR Ref: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 20:926, 1972 : PubMed
The insecticidal, anticholinesterase, and hydrolytic properties for a series of S-phenyl phosphoramidothioates and 5-phenyl phosphonamidothioates were examined. The compounds were moderately toxic to the housefly and were effective inhibitors of cholinesterase. Attempts to correlate cholinesterase inhibition of housefly toxicity with physical organic parameters were unsuccessful. However, an excellent linear relationship was obtained between Hammett's sigma constant and alkaline hydrolysis rates of the O-ethyl substituted S-phenyl phosphoramidothioates. In addition, a kinetic study of the alkaline hydrolysis of these esters was carried out for the purpose of examining the mechanism of reaction. The results indicate that hydrolysis takes place by a direct nucleophilic attack on the phosphoryl center by hydroxide ion and the increase in hydrolytic stability with progressive nitrogen substitution can be accounted for by less favorable polar and steric effects.
        
1 lessTitle: Juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) from Tenebrio molitor: full-length cDNA sequence, in vitro expression, and characterization of the recombinant protein Hinton AC, Hammock BD Ref: Insect Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 33:477, 2003 : PubMed
Juvenile hormone regulates the development and reproduction in a variety of insects. Juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) is a selective enzyme, which hydrolyzes the methyl ester of JH and alters its activity. In Tenebrio molitor, JHE has been previously purified from pupae and a partial cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR using fat body mRNA. The previous report indicated that several forms of the JHE protein were present in pupal homogenate. In this study, we report the full-length cDNA, which was obtained by RACE methods. The deduced protein sequence corresponds to peptides from two proteins of different molecular weights in the previous study. The coding region of the full-length cDNA was subcloned into the AcMNPV genome and high levels of expression of the JHE enzyme from the viral p10 promoter were demonstrated in cell culture. The majority of JHE is secreted from the cells as a soluble enzyme. The recombinant JHE enzyme was biochemically characterized. The recombinant protein appears by PAGE analysis as a monomer of approximately the same MW (66000) and pI (4.9) as was expected from the deduced amino acid sequence of the cDNA.
        
Title: In vitro expression and biochemical characterization of juvenile hormone esterase from Manduca sexta Hinton AC, Hammock BD Ref: Insect Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 33:317, 2003 : PubMed
Juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) is a selective enzyme that hydrolyzes the methyl ester of juvenile hormone. This enzyme plays an important role in the regulation of metamorphosis in caterpillars, and is implicated in additional roles in development and reproduction in this and other orders of insect. The full length coding region of the JHE cDNA from Manduca sexta was subcloned into the baculovirus AcMNPV genome under the control of the p10 promoter. The recombinant virus demonstrated the expression of high levels of JHE activity when infected into Hi5 cells from Trichoplusia ni. The recombinant protein was partially purified by anion exchange chromatography and its biochemical characterization showed similar features to the wild type protein. The recombinant JHE has an estimated MW of 66500 Da. Some heterogeneity with the enzyme was observed when analyzed by isoelectric focusing, although the peak of JHE activity was observed at pI=6.0. It is highly sensitive to trifluoroketone inhibitors and certain phosphoramidothiolates, while relatively insensitive to other common esterase inhibitors. Incubating the enzyme with various organic solvents and detergents showed that the enzyme is activated at lower concentrations of solvents/detergents and remains significantly active even at high concentrations. The high tolerance of organic solvents may make this JHE enzyme useful in future applications as a synthetic catalyst.
        
Title: Synthesis of new carboxylesterase inhibitors and evaluation of potency and water solubility Wheelock CE, Severson TF, Hammock BD Ref: Chemical Research in Toxicology, 14:1563, 2001 : PubMed
Carboxylesterases are essential enzymes in the hydrolysis and detoxification of numerous pharmaceuticals and pesticides. They are vital in mediating organophosphate toxicity and in activating many prodrugs such as the chemotherapeutic agent CPT-11. It is therefore important to study the catalytic mechanism responsible for carboxylesterase-induced hydrolysis, which can be accomplished through the use of potent and selective inhibitors. Trifluoromethyl ketone (TFK)-containing compounds are the most potent esterase inhibitors described to date. The inclusion of a thioether moiety beta to the carbonyl further increased TFK inhibitor potency. In this study, we have synthesized the sulfone analogues of a series of aliphatic and aromatic substituted thioether TFKs to evaluate their potency and solubility properties. This structural change shifted the keto/hydrate equilibrium from <9% hydrate to >95% hydrate, forming almost exclusively the gem-diol. These new compounds were evaluated for their inhibition of carboxylesterase activity in three different systems, rat liver microsomes, commercial porcine esterase, and juvenile hormone esterase in cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) hemolymph. The most potent inhibitor of rat liver carboxylesterase activity was 1,1,1-trifluoro-3-(decane-1-sulfonyl)-propan-2,2-diol, which inhibited 50% of the enzyme activity (IC(50)) at 6.3 +/- 1.3 nM and was 18-fold more potent than its thioether analogue. However, the sulfone derivatives were consistently poorer inhibitors of porcine carboxylesterase activity and juvenile hormone esterase activity, with IC(50) values ranging from low micromolar to millimolar. The compound 1,1,1-trifluoro-3-(octane-1-sulfonyl)-propan-2,2-diol was shown to have a 10-fold greater water solubility than its thioether analogue, 1,1,1-trifluoro-3-octylsulfanyl-propan-2-one (OTFP). These novel compounds provide further evidence of the differences between esterase orthologs, suggesting that additional development of esterase inhibitors may ultimately provide a battery of ortholog and/or isoform selective inhibitors analogous to those available for other complex enzyme families with overlapping substrate specificity.
        
Title: Insecticidal, anticholinesterase, and hydrolytic properties of S-aryl phosphoramidothioates Sanborn JR, Fukuto TR Ref: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 20:926, 1972 : PubMed
The insecticidal, anticholinesterase, and hydrolytic properties for a series of S-phenyl phosphoramidothioates and 5-phenyl phosphonamidothioates were examined. The compounds were moderately toxic to the housefly and were effective inhibitors of cholinesterase. Attempts to correlate cholinesterase inhibition of housefly toxicity with physical organic parameters were unsuccessful. However, an excellent linear relationship was obtained between Hammett's sigma constant and alkaline hydrolysis rates of the O-ethyl substituted S-phenyl phosphoramidothioates. In addition, a kinetic study of the alkaline hydrolysis of these esters was carried out for the purpose of examining the mechanism of reaction. The results indicate that hydrolysis takes place by a direct nucleophilic attack on the phosphoryl center by hydroxide ion and the increase in hydrolytic stability with progressive nitrogen substitution can be accounted for by less favorable polar and steric effects.