Molecular characterization and enzyme inhibition studies of NADP+- farnesol dehydrogenase from diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

Juvenile hormone III (JH III) plays an important role in insect reproduction, development, and behavior. The second branch of JH III production includes oxidation of farnesol to farnesal by farnesol dehydrogenase. This study reported the identification and characterization of Plutella xylostella farnesol dehydrogenase (PxFoLDH). Our results showed that PxFoLDH belongs to the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily, consisting of a single domain with a structurally conserved Rossman fold, an NAD(P) (H)-binding region and a structurally diverse C- terminal region. The purified enzyme displayed maximum activity at 55 °C with pH 9.5 and was stable in the temperature below 70 °C. PxFoLDH was determined to be a monomer with a relative molecular weight of 27 kDa and highly specific for trans, trans-farnesol and NADP+. Among analog inhibitors tested, farnesyl acetate was the most effective inhibitor with the lowest Ki value of 0.02 µM. Our findings showed this purified enzyme may represent as NADP+-farnesol dehydrogenase.