MOLECULAR-CLONING OF A CDNA-ENCODING PUTATIVE MOLT-INHIBITING HORMONEFROM THE BLUE-CRAB, CALLINECTES-SAPIDUS

A cDNA library was constructed using poly(A+) RNA isolated from eyesta lk neural ganglia of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. The library w as screened using a probe generated by PCR based on the published amin o acid sequence of molt-inhibiting hormone from the shore crab, Carcin us maenas. DNA sequence analysis of one positive clone revealed a 339 bp open reading frame encoding a 78-residue putative molt-inhibiting h ormone and a 35-residue signal peptide. The deduced amino acid sequenc e of C. sapidus molt-inhibiting hormone is 79% homologous with that of C. maenas. Northern blot analysis, using a fragment of the cloned mol t-inhibiting hormone cDNA as probe, revealed specific hybridization to a single band (similar to 1.4 kb) in RNA extracted from eyestalk but not control tissues. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.