Juvenile Hormone-Specific Epoxide Hydrolyase: Regulation and Characterization

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Dr. Schooley will study an enzyme, called JH-specific epoxide hydrolase (JHEH), thought to be important in regulating juvenile hormone (JH) levels in insects. JH levels in insects are believed to be controlled partly by the rate of hormone degradation. A dogma has developed that the drop in JH level required for pupation of insects including moths and butterflies is due mainly to the JH- specific esterase. He has preliminary evidence that JHEH is at least as important as the esterase enzyme, if not more so. He will characterize the enzyme in live insects and in insect extracts to gain an understanding of its importance in controlling JH level. He will do this by studying JH metabolism as a function of development and by studying the rate of metabolism of different kinds of JH. He will determine portions of the protein sequence of the pure, isolated enzyme, and then isolate a molecular clone of the gene encoding the enzyme in order to determine the complete sequence of the enzyme. He will also test how enzyme levels are controlled by studying the levels of messenger RNA coding for the enzyme.