Abstract
Methyl farnesoate (MF) is a sesquiterpenoid that is synthesized by crustaceans and is structurally similar to the insect juvenile hormones. MF is metabolized to farnesoic acid by carboxylesterases present in crustacean tissues. In order to investigate the biological significance of MF metabolism, we have developed two rapid methods for measuring MF esterase activity. The first method is a radiochemical partition assay that utilizes an authentic substrate. The [3H]MF partition assay was used to evaluate the spectrophotometric esterase substrates methyl 1-heptylthioacetothioate (HEPTAT) and methyl 1-pentylthioacetothioate (PENTAT) for use with crude and partially purified samples of MF esterases from lobster hepatopancreas (midgut gland). The spectrophotometric method is less specific for MF esterases than the partition assay but is less time consuming and nonradioactive, and it provides kinetic information. HEPTAT and PENTAT were suitable for rapid screening of chromatographic fractions for MF esterase activity. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 36:115–128, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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