A. Daniello et al., D-ASPARTATE IN THE MALE AND FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE-SYSTEM OF OCTOPUS-VULGARIS LAM, General and comparative endocrinology, 100(1), 1995, pp. 69-72
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.