Racial and antigenic variation of esterase enzymes in silkworm Bombyx mori

Abstract

Esterase enzyme is closely related to diapause termination in silkworm Bombyx mori. A comparison of racial and ontogenic variation with regard to alpha and beta esterase enzyme was carried out by using gel electrophoretic techniques. The results reveal that there is a low enzyme activity of these enzymes in diapausing races and high activity in non-diapausing races not only during egg stage but also during overall life cycle of the insect.