Hepatopancreas is the extraovarian site of vitellogenin synthesis in black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon

• Published in: Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology Vol. 129; no. 4; pp. 909 - 917
• Main Authors: Tseng, Deng-Yu, Chen, Ying-Nan, Kou, Guang-Hsiung, Lo, Chu-Fang, Kuo, Ching-Ming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.07.2001
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Crustacean; Digestive System - metabolism; DNA, Complementary; Female; Genomic DNA; Hepatopancreas; Marine; Molecular Sequence Data; Ovary - metabolism; Penaeid shrimp; Penaeidae - genetics; Penaeidae - metabolism; Penaeus monodon; Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Sequence Alignment; Synthesis site; Vitellin; Vitellogenesis; Vitellogenin gene; Vitellogenins - biosynthesis; Vitellogenins - chemistry; Vitellogenins - genetics; Vitellogenesis; Crustacean; Penaeid shrimp; Hepatopancreas; Genomic DNA; Vitellogenin gene; Synthesis site; Vitellin
• ISSN: 1095-6433; 1531-4332
• DOI: 10.1016/S1095-6433(01)00355-5

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.