Liver X receptors, LXRs, are ligand-activated transcription factors that belong to the group H nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily. In this study, an LXR (HrLXR) cDNA was cloned from the ascidian Halocynthia roretzi hepatopancreas and characterized to examine the functional conservation of ancestral LXRs in chordates. A phylogenetic analysis of HrLXR showed that it belongs to the tunicate (urocho...

Proteome maps of hepatopancreas (midgut gland) and ovarian tissues of the crustacean, Cancer pagurus (Decapoda; edible crab) have been produced by 2D-PAGE and identification of proteins, following trypsin proteolysis, by electrospray MS/MS and database searching. Owing to the lack of sequence information on proteins and fully sequenced genomes amongst the decapod crustaceans and given the evolu...

An experimental study was carried out to investigate direct and direct plus trophic contamination routes of the crayfish Astacus astacus by inorganic mercury (Hg(II)) or methylmercury (MeHg). Direct exposure was based on low contamination conditions, 300 and 30 ng/L in the dissolved phase, respectively, during 30 d at 20 degrees C. Trophic exposure was based on daily consumption of the Asiatic ...

We identified the cDNA sequence of cathepsin L (CatL) in Macrobrachium nipponense, designated as MnCatL, for the first time. The MnCatL cDNA, isolated from the ovary, was 1710 bp in length, containing a 31-bp 5'-untranslated region, a 650-bp 3'-untranslated region, and an open reading frame of 1029 bp, encoding a 342-amino acid polypeptide with a predicted molecular mass of 37.7 kDa. The polype...

Gene discovery in the Malaysian giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) has been limited to small scale data collection, despite great interest in various research fields related to the commercial significance of this species. Next generation sequencing technologies that have been developed recently and enabled whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq), have allowed generation of larg...

1. A crude cellulase extract was prepared from the hepatopancreas of a marine mollusc, Dolabella sp., and partially purified by ammonium sulphate fractionation. 2. The optimum pH values of the partially purified preparation were 6.5 and 8.0 for Walseth cellulose and CM-cellulose respectively. It was most stable at pH6.0 and showed moderate thermostability. 3. The partially purified preparation ...

The midgut in the freshwater shrimp Neocaridina davidi (previously named N. heteropoda) (Crustacea, Malacostraca) is composed of a tube-shaped intestine and a large hepatopancreas that is formed by numerous blind-ended tubules. The precise structure and ultrastructure of these regions were presented in our previous papers, while here we focused on the ultrastructural changes that occurred in th...

The blood clam Tegillarca granosa, a eukaryotic bottom-dwelling bivalve species has a strong ability to tolerate and accumulate cadmium. In our previous study, Nfu1 (iron-sulfur cluster scaffold protein), which is involved in Fe-S cluster biogenesis, was shown to be significantly up-regulated under Cd stress, as determined by proteomic analysis. To investigate the function of Nfu1 in cadmium (C...

Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs) are innate immune molecules that have been structurally conserved throughout evolution in invertebrates and vertebrates. In this study, peptidoglycan recognition protein HcPGRP1 and its isoform HcPGRP1a were identified in the freshwater mussel Hyriopsis cumingii. The full-length cDNAs of HcPGRP1 (973 bp) and HcPGRP1a (537 bp) encoded polypeptides with ...

Cells isolated from the hepatopancreas of estivating snails (Helix aspersa) have strongly depressed mitochondrial respiration compared with controls. Mitochondrial respiration was divided into substrate oxidation (which produces the mitochondrial membrane potential) and ATP turnover and proton leak (which consume it). The activity of substrate oxidation (and probably ATP turnover) decreased, wh...