Skip to main content
PMC home page
Biochemical Journal logoLink to Biochemical Journal
. 1999 Oct 15;343(Pt 2):355–360.

Molecular characterization and expression of mandibular organ-inhibiting hormone, a recently discovered neuropeptide involved in the regulation of growth and reproduction in the crab Cancer pagurus.

C Tang 1, W Lu 1, G Wainwright 1, S G Webster 1, H H Rees 1, P C Turner 1
PMCID: PMC1220561  PMID: 10510300

Abstract

Methyl farnesoate, the crustacean juvenoid, is synthesized and secreted from the mandibular organs of crustaceans under the negative control of the sinus gland-derived mandibular organ-inhibiting hormone (MO-IH). Previously we isolated and sequenced two isoforms, MO-IH-1 and MO-IH-2, differing by just one amino acid, from sinus glands of the edible crab, Cancer pagurus. We now report the isolation of cDNAs encoding MO-IH-1 and MO-IH-2 by a combination of reverse-transcriptase-mediated PCR in conjunction with 5' and 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends ('RACE'). Full-length clones of MO-IH-1 and MO-IH-2 encoded a 34-residue putative signal peptide and the mature 78-residue MO-IH sequences. Northern blot analysis of various tissues showed that MO-IH expression is confined to the X-organ (a cluster of perikarya within the eye). Southern blot analysis indicated that there are approx. 10 copies of the gene for MO-IH in C. pagurus. Additional Southern blotting experiments detected MO-IH-hybridizing bands in another Cancer species, C. antennarius. In support of this, an HPLC-radioimmunoassay analysis of sinus gland extracts of C. antennarius and C. magister also revealed MO-IH-like immunoreactivity.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (173.6 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Chan S. M., Chen X. G., Gu P. L. PCR cloning and expression of the molt-inhibiting hormone gene for the crab (Charybdis feriatus). Gene. 1998 Dec 11;224(1-2):23–33. doi: 10.1016/s0378-1119(98)00517-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chang E. S. Comparative endocrinology of molting and reproduction: insects and crustaceans. Annu Rev Entomol. 1993;38:161–180. doi: 10.1146/annurev.en.38.010193.001113. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chang E. S., Prestwich G. D., Bruce M. J. Amino acid sequence of a peptide with both molt-inhibiting and hyperglycemic activities in the lobster, Homarus americanus. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1990 Sep 14;171(2):818–826. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(90)91219-i. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. De Kleijn D. P., Van Herp F. Molecular biology of neurohormone precursors in the eyestalk of Crustacea. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 1995 Dec;112(4):573–579. doi: 10.1016/0305-0491(95)00126-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Frohman M. A. Rapid amplification of complementary DNA ends for generation of full-length complementary DNAs: thermal RACE. Methods Enzymol. 1993;218:340–356. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(93)18026-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gu P. L., Chan S. M. Cloning of a cDNA encoding a putative molt-inhibiting hormone from the eyestalk of the sand shrimp Metapenaeus ensis. Mol Mar Biol Biotechnol. 1998 Sep;7(3):214–220. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kang W. K., Naya Y. Sequence of the cDNA encoding an actin homolog in the crayfish Procambarus clarkii. Gene. 1993 Nov 15;133(2):303–304. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(93)90657-o. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Keller R. Crustacean neuropeptides: structures, functions and comparative aspects. Experientia. 1992 May 15;48(5):439–448. doi: 10.1007/BF01928162. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Klein J. M., Mangerich S., de Kleijn D. P., Keller R., Weidemann W. M. Molecular cloning of crustacean putative molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH) precursor. FEBS Lett. 1993 Nov 8;334(1):139–142. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(93)81699-z. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Laufer H., Borst D., Baker F. C., Reuter C. C., Tsai L. W., Schooley D. A., Carrasco C., Sinkus M. Identification of a juvenile hormone-like compound in a crustacean. Science. 1987 Jan 9;235(4785):202–205. doi: 10.1126/science.235.4785.202. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lee K. J., Elton T. S., Bej A. K., Watts S. A., Watson R. D. Molecular cloning of a cDNA encoding putative molt-inhibiting hormone from the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1995 Apr 26;209(3):1126–1131. doi: 10.1006/bbrc.1995.1614. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lee K. J., Watson R. D., Roer R. D. Molt-inhibiting hormone mRNA levels and ecdysteroid titer during a molt cycle of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1998 Aug 28;249(3):624–627. doi: 10.1006/bbrc.1998.9215. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Liu L., Laufer H., Wang Y., Hayes T. A neurohormone regulating both methyl farnesoate synthesis and glucose metabolism in a crustacean. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1997 Aug 28;237(3):694–701. doi: 10.1006/bbrc.1997.6977. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ohira T., Watanabe T., Nagasawa H., Aida K. Molecular cloning of a molt-inhibiting hormone cDNA from the kuruma prawn Penaeus japonicus. Zoolog Sci. 1997 Oct;14(5):785–789. doi: 10.2108/zsj.14.785. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Proudfoot N. J., Brownlee G. G. 3' non-coding region sequences in eukaryotic messenger RNA. Nature. 1976 Sep 16;263(5574):211–214. doi: 10.1038/263211a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Tamone S. L., Chang E. S. Methyl farnesoate stimulates ecdysteroid secretion from crab Y-organs in vitro. Gen Comp Endocrinol. 1993 Mar;89(3):425–432. doi: 10.1006/gcen.1993.1050. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Tsukimura B., Borst D. W. Regulation of methyl farnesoate in the hemolymph and mandibular organ of the lobster, Homarus americanus. Gen Comp Endocrinol. 1992 May;86(2):297–303. doi: 10.1016/0016-6480(92)90114-y. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Umphrey H. R., Lee K. J., Watson R. D., Spaziani E. Molecular cloning of a cDNA encoding molt-inhibiting hormone of the crab, Cancer magister. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 1998 Jan 15;136(2):145–149. doi: 10.1016/s0303-7207(97)00226-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Wainwright G., Webster S. G., Rees H. H. Neuropeptide regulation of biosynthesis of the juvenoid, methyl farnesoate, in the edible crab, Cancer pagurus. Biochem J. 1998 Sep 15;334(Pt 3):651–657. doi: 10.1042/bj3340651. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Wainwright G., Webster S. G., Wilkinson M. C., Chung J. S., Rees H. H. Structure and significance of mandibular organ-inhibiting hormone in the crab, Cancer pagurus. Involvement in multihormonal regulation of growth and reproduction. J Biol Chem. 1996 May 31;271(22):12749–12754. doi: 10.1074/jbc.271.22.12749. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. de Kleijn D. P., Sleutels F. J., Martens G. J., Van Herp F. Cloning and expression of mRNA encoding prepro-gonad-inhibiting hormone (GIH) in the lobster Homarus americanus. FEBS Lett. 1994 Oct 24;353(3):255–258. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(94)01055-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Biochemical Journal are provided here courtesy of The Biochemical Society

RESOURCES