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

The site of yolk protein synthesis in crustaceans has long been a subject o f 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 sp ecies. Ovaries are the most frequently reported as the site of yolk protein synthesis in penaeid shrimp. Using cDNA reversed-transcribed from mRNA iso lated from the hepatopancreas of vitellogenic female shrimp, Penaeus monodo n, we found that its deduced amino acid sequence had high identity of 48% w ith that from M. rosenbergii vitellogenin. A similar location of the intron in the sequenced region of genomic DNA was also found between these two sp ecies. 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. (C) 2001 Elsevicr Science Inc . All rights reserved.