Biochemical differences between alcohol dehydrogenases of Drosophila melanogaster.

This paper describes substrate specificities, developmental changes in activity, pH profiles, and heat stabilities of isozymes produced by four Adh genotypes in D. melanogaster. No differences are found in the substrate specificities of isozymes from the different genotypes but studies of the other three properties reveal significant differences between the isozymes. Thus relatively low activities are found among extracts of AdhF Adhn2 larvae and among extracts of AdhF AdhF adults aged 44 days. Also AdhF AdhS and AdhS AdhS extracts have relatively high activities at pH 6-5, and AdhF Adhn2 extracts have relatively low activities at pH values above 10-0. Finally, extracts of AdhF AdhF and AdhF AdhS are more stable at 40 degrees C than are those of AdhS AdhS and AdhF Adhn2.