Characterization of detoxification enzymes activity in Japanese beetles

Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman (Scarabaeidae) is one of the most successful

 polyphagous insects with over 300 host plant species with agricultural, landscape and turf

 importance. Detoxification enzymes represented by three main superfamilies; Cytochrome

 P450s, Carboxylesterases (CoE) and Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are well documented

 for roles in host utilization and insecticide resistance in herbivorous insects. The goal of

 this study was to characterize the activities of these enzymes in adult and larval stages of

 Japanese beetles under different feeding regimes and different insect tissues. Field collected

 Japanese beetles were subjected to feeding treatments in the lab. Treatments included

 starvation and responses to different host plants or allelochemicals. The abundance and

 activity of enzymes (P450, CoE, and GST) were assayed following the feeding bouts using

 multiple substrates to identify specificity. The results of these experiments will be presented

 and discussed.