Esterase, Glutathione S-Transferase and NADPH-Cytochrome P450 Reductase Activity Evaluation in Cacopsylla pyri L. (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) Individual Adults

Abstract

Cacopsylla pyri (L.) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) is a key pest of pear orchards in Spain. The large number of insecticide treatments necessary for control may be an important contributor to the emergence of resistance. Laboratory toxicity and biochemical assays are necessary to validate the existence of insecticide resistance and establish the underlying mechanisms. All the methodologies developed to evaluate enzyme activity in C. pyri to date have incorporated “pools” of adults to detect minimum activity ranges. In this study, we determined the optimal working conditions for evaluation of the activities of esterase, glutathione S-transferase and NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase in individual insects via colorimetric methods using a microplate reader. The main factors affecting enzymatic analysis activity, such as enzyme source and substrate concentration, filter wavelength, buffer pH, reaction time and additives, were evaluated for optimization. Determining the frequency of resistant individuals within a population could be used as an indicator for the evolution of insecticide resistance over time. Two laboratory strains, one of them selected with cypermethrin, and two field populations were analyzed for this purpose. The data obtained revealed high values and great variation in the activity ranges of esterase (EST) in the insecticide-selected population as well as in the field populations validating the applied methodology.