ABSTRACT
Several continuous cell lines have been developed at the Forest Pest Management Institute (FPMI) from the tissues of major forest insect pests to facilitate the in vitro investigations of insect pathogens. Isozyme analyses were performed to confirm the identity of the new cell lines. Twenty-eight continuous insect cell lines originating from four lepidopterous and one hymenopterous species were used in this work. Methods of electrophoresis using horizontal starch gels followed F. J. Ayala et al. and A. Hudson and L. P. Lefkovitch. For most enzyme systems, band locations were characteristic for each insect species and permitted clear differentiation among them. Isozymes in the eight N. lecontei cell lines showed very little variability, as was also noticed for sawfly larvae. Activity of all major enzymes was readily detected in the six cell lines of O. leucostigma (OL), and band positions in all but two OL cell lines conformed to band positions in this species.
