An unusual type of malathion-carboxylesterase in a Japanese strain of house fly

It had been reported that a Japanese multiple-resistant strain of house fly, Hirokawa, had a high malathion-carboxylesterase activity as well as a normal level of esterase activity to α-naphthylacetate (NA). This is different from the situation in several other malathion-resistant strains, where high malathion-carboxylesterase activity goes together with a low level of activity to α-NA. This had been explained by the so-called “mutant ali-esterase theory,” which assumed that the opposite changes in activity to malathion and α-NA were the result of one and the same change in an ali-esterase. In the Hirokawa strain the esterase degrading malathion seems to be responsible for about 64% of the activity to α-NA. This was concluded since the two activities were equally sensitive to denaturation and to two organophosphorus inhibitors. Moreover activity of malathion was inhibited by α-NA, and that of α-NA by malathion. Most of the latter activity was inhibited competitively. Inhibition of activity to malathion was lower, however, than to be expected on the basis of competitive mutual inhibition. This case of resistance to malathion therefore seems to involve a different kind of “mutant ali-esterase” than in other strains. Increased hydrolysis of the insecticide seems to be achieved without loss of activity to α-NA, although K m is different. The strain further showed an unusually high β-NA hydrolysis and malaoxon-carboxylesterase activity (about 3- and 200-fold, respectively, that of another malathion-resistant strain G).