Expression of two types of acetylcholinesterase gene from the silkworm, Bombyx mori, in insect cells

Complementary DNAs encoding two types of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were isolated from the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The type 1 (Bmace1) and type 2 (Bmace2) ORFs are 2052 and 1917 bp in length, respectively. Both the complete ORFs of the Bmaces and C-terminal truncated forms were recombined into the Bacmid baculovirus vector under the control of the polyhedrin promoter and expressed in Trichoplusia ni (Tn-5B1-4) cells. The resulting products exhibited AChE activity and glycosylation of the expressed proteins. An inhibition assay indicated that the ace2-type enzyme was more sensitive than the ace1-type enzyme to inhibition by eserine and paraoxon.