Abstract
Cholinesterases (ChEs) have been identified in vertebrates and invertebrates. Inhibition of ChE activity in invertebrates, such as bivalve molluscs, has been used to evaluate the exposure of organophosphates, carbamate pesticides, and heavy metals in the marine system. The golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) is considered as one of the worst invasive alien species harmful to rice and other crops. The ChE(s) in this animal, which has been found recently, but poorly characterized thus far, could serve as biomarker(s) for environmental surveillance as well as a potential target for the pest control. In this study, the tissue distribution, substrate preference, sensitivity to ChE inhibitors, and molecular species of ChEs in P. canaliculata were investigated. It was found that the activities of both AChE and BChE were present in all test tissues. The intestine had the most abundant ChE activities. Both enzymes had fair activities in the head, kidney, and gills. The BChE activity was more sensitive to tetra-isopropylpyrophosphoramide (iso-OMPA) than the AChE. Only one BChE molecular species, 5.8S, was found in the intestine and head, whereas two AChE species, 5.8S and 11.6S, were found there. We propose that intestine ChEs of this snail may be potential biomarkers for manipulating pollutions.
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Abbreviations
- ChEs:
-
Cholinesterases
- AChE:
-
Acetylcholinesterase
- ATCh:
-
Acetylthiocholine iodide
- BChE:
-
Butyrylcholinesterase
- BTCh:
-
Butyrylthiocholine chloride
- iso-OMPA:
-
Tetra-isopropylpyrophosphoramide
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Acknowledgments
We thank Miss Angela C. Zhang for the comments during manuscript preparation. This research was supported by the Plan Program of Science and Technology Department of Guangdong Province (2011B050300018) and the Nature Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (S2013010013433).
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The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
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Xiang-Hui Zou and Heidi Qun-Hui Xie contributed equally to this study.
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Zou, XH., Xie, H.QH., Zha, GC. et al. Characterizations of Cholinesterases in Golden Apple Snail (Pomacea canaliculata). J Mol Neurosci 53, 424–428 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-013-0168-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-013-0168-4