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Fish Sci (2011) 77:329335 DOI 10.1007/s12562-011-0337-8
ORIGINAL ARTICLE Biology
Molecular cloning of a cDNA encoding insulin-like androgenic gland factor from the kuruma prawn Marsupenaeus japonicus and analysis of its expression
Kota Banzai Noriko Ishizaka Kiyoshi Asahina
Katsuyoshi Suitoh Susumu Izumi
Tsuyoshi Ohira
Received: 30 November 2010 / Accepted: 14 February 2011 / Published online: 8 March 2011 The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science 2011
Abstract Androgenic gland hormone (AGH), which is produced in the male-specic androgenic gland (AG) and controls sex differentiation in crustaceans, has been characterized only from isopod species. To date, complementary DNA (cDNA) encoding an androgenic gland-specic polypeptide, which was designated as an insulin-like androgenic gland factor (IAG), has been cloned from three decapod species. IAG has been thought to be a candidate for AGH in decapod crustaceans; however, there has been no clear evidence. To accumulate sequence information of additional IAGs, we cloned cDNA encoding an IAG precursor from the kuruma prawn Marsupenaeus japonicus by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) coupled with 50- and 30-rapid amplication of cDNA ends (RACE). The Mar. japonicus IAG precursor consisted of a signal peptide, a B chain, a C peptide, and an A chain. This organization is the same as those of the known isopod
AGH and decapod IAG precursors. In RT-PCR analysis of tissue-specic gene expression of Mar. japonicus IAG, transcript was detected in the distal part of medial vas deferens, distal vas deferens, proximal part of terminal ampoule, and terminal ampoule. This result indicates that AG cells of Mar. japonicus are probably distributed widely in the distal part of the male reproductive organ.
Keywords Androgenic gland hormone Crustacea
Insulin-like androgenic gland factor Kuruma prawn
Marsupenaeus japonicus
Introduction
The androgenic gland (AG) was rst discovered by Charniaux-Cotton [1] in the amphipod Orchestia gamma-rella. The androgenic gland produces androgenic gland hormone (AGH), which is responsible for the development of male characteristics in crustaceans [2]. Using the terrestrial isopod Armadillidium vulgare, purication of AGH has been attempted by several research groups since the late 1980s [36]. In 1999, the primary structure ofA. vulgare AGH (Arv-AGH) was nally determined to be a heterodimeric glycoprotein [7], and a cDNA encoding Arv-AGH precursor was cloned [8].
Pro-Arv-AGH consists of 123 amino acid residues and has eight Cys residues. The...