Purification and biochemical characterization of a specific beta-glucosidase from the digestive fluid of larvae of the palm weevil, Rhynchophorus palmarum.

A beta-glucosidase was purified from the digestive fluid of the palm weevil Rhynchophorus palmarum L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) by chromatography on anion-exchange, gel filtration, and hydrophobic interaction columns. The preparation was shown to be homogeneous on polyacrylamide gels, beta-glucosidase is a monomeric protein with a molecular weight of 58 kDa based on its mobility in SDS-PAGE and 60 kDa based on gel filtration.