Summary
By disc electrophoresis of sinus gland extracts fromOrconectes limosus, Pacifastacus leniusculus andCarcinus maenas, marked differences in the electrophoretic mobility were demonstrated for the hyperglycemic neurohormone (HGH) from the 3 species. In the astacuran materials, 2 peaks of activity were observed whereas inCarcinus material only 1 peak could be demonstrated with certainty. Melanophore-stimulating activity (MDH) was resolved into several peaks, but 2 predominant peaks with almost identical mobility were observed in all 3 species. Electrophoresis of sinus gland material from the above species and fromHomarus gammarus, Procambarus clarkii, Astacus leptodactylus, A. astacus, Uca pugilator, Cancer magister, Eriocheir sinensis andHemigrapsus oregonensis revealed that all astacuran HGHs fall in one group of substances with low mobility whereas some of the brachyuran hormones (fromCarcinus, Uca andCancer) moved faster. The hormones ofEriocheir andHemigrapsus have mobilities similar to those of the astacuran hormones, but, like the other brachyuran hormones, they are not hyperglycemic in Astacura. HGH was found to be associated with the strongest staining band in the pherograms from all species investigated. It amounts to at least 10% of total sinus gland protein, that is about 0.5 μg/gland inOrconectes and 0.6 μg/gland inCarcinus. Accumulation of neurosecretory material in the neurohaemal organ is demonstrated by comparison of sinus gland and medulla terminalis extracts. In SDS gels, a large fraction of material (containing the HGH) in the mass range of 6000–8000 daltons is found in the the sinus gland whereas this fraction is barely demonstrable in the medulla terminalis. It was investigated whether cysteine-rich carrier proteins comparable to the vertebrate neurophysins exist in the sinus gland. No positive results were obtained either by aldehyde fuchsin staining of gels or by analysis of35S-labeled sinus gland material. noreactivity in gels after electrophoresis of sinus gland extracts. No positive reaction was obtained with eluates from HGH containing slices. Recent amino acid analyses of HGH (Kleinholz, 1975; Keller and Wunderer, in preparation) do not suggest any similarities between crustacean HGH and vertebrate glucagon.
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Keller, R. Comparative electrophoretic studies of crustacean neurosecretory hyperglycemic and melanophore-stimulating hormones from isolated sinus glands. J Comp Physiol B 122, 359–373 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00692521
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00692521