Hepatopancreas is the
extraovarian site of vitellogenin synthesis in black tiger shrimp, Penaeus
monodon
D.-Y.
Tseng, Y.-N. Chen, G.-H. Kou, C.-F. Lo, C.-M. Kuo-2001
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - Part A:
Molecular and Integrative Physiology, 129(4): 909-917
Abstract:
The site of yolk protein synthesis in crustaceans has
long been a subject of controversy. The vitellogenin gene structure was
partially reported only very recently in Macrobrachium rosenbergii,
after which the hepatopancreas was confirmed as the extraovarian site of
vitellogenin synthesis in that species. Ovaries are the most frequently
reported as the site of yolk protein synthesis in penaeid shrimp. Using cDNA
reversed-transcribed from mRNA isolated from the hepatopancreas of
vitellogenic female shrimp, Penaeus monodon, we found that its
deduced amino acid sequence had high identity of 48% with that from M.
rosenbergii vitellogenin. A similar location of the intron in the
sequenced region of genomic DNA was also found between these two species. We
therefore concluded that the hepatopancreas the extraovarian site of
vitellogenin synthesis in P. monodon in vivo. The partial
structure of vitellogenin gene is presented in this study.
(Department of Zoology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan 106, ROC, e-mail of C.-M. Kuo: cmkuo@mail.npust.edu.tw)