D-ASPARTATE IN THE MALE AND FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE-SYSTEM OF OCTOPUS-VULGARIS LAM

Free D-aspartate (D-Asp) has been previously found in the nervous syst em of Octopus vulgaris (Mollusca: Cepalopoda) and has recently also be en found in many endocrine tissues of the rat. The present study exami ned whether this enantiomer also occurs in the reproductive system and the brain of the octopus. In this mollusk, D-aspartate was present in both the male and the female reproductive systems. In males, it was f ound at high concentrations in the prostate, vas deferens, Needham's s ac, and restis. In females, a high concentration was found in the ovid uct, accessory nidamental gland, and ovary, The concentration varied b etween 0.4 and 2.9 mu mol/g wet tissue, which corresponds to a percent age of D-Asp/total D + L-Asp between 7 and 33%. No appreciable quantit ies of D-Asp were found in the digestive, excretory, circulatory, and muscular systems, indicating that in the octopus this enantiomer may p lay a role in both the nervous and the reproductive systems. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.