Structure and phylogeny of the crustacean hyperglycemic hormone and its precursor from a hydrothermal vent crustacean: the crab Bythograea thermydron

• Published in: Peptides (New York, N.Y. : 1980) N.Y. : 1980), 2002, Vol.23 (1), p.31-42
• Main Authors: Toullec, Jean-Yves, Vinh, Joëlle, Le Caer, Jean-Pierre, Shillito, Bruce, Soyez, Daniel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Arthropod Proteins; Arthropods; Base Sequence; Biological Assay; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Brachyura; Bythograea thermydron; Chemical Sciences; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Crustacean hyperglycemic hormone; DNA, Complementary - metabolism; Endoproteinase Lys-C (EC 3.4.21.50); Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Hemolymph - metabolism; Hydrothermal vents; Invertebrate Hormones; Life Sciences; MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry; Mass Spectrometry; Molecular Sequence Data; Nerve Tissue Proteins - chemistry; Nerve Tissue Proteins - genetics; Peptides - chemistry; Phylogeny; Protein Precursors - chemistry; Protein Sorting Signals; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA - metabolism; Sequence Analysis, Protein; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Time Factors; X-organ-sinus gland complex
• ISSN: 0196-9781; 1873-5169
• DOI: 10.1016/S0196-9781(01)00576-9

The structure of a well-known neurohormone involved in homeostasis regulation and stress response, the crustacean hyperglycemic hormone, was investigated in the deep-sea hydrothermal vent crab Bythograea thermydron. The neuropeptide was isolated from neurohemal organs (sinus glands) and its biological activity checked using an homologous bioassay. Partial amino acid sequence was established by a combination of Edman chemistry and mass spectrometry. Then, the sequence of the cDNA encoding the hormone precursor was determined. The preprohormone 1 is composed of a 29 amino acid signal peptide, followed by a 41 amino acid associated peptide flanking the 72 amino acid hyperglycemic hormone. Comparison of these data with other known crab hyperglycemic hormone and prohormone sequences was performed using phylogenetic analysis methods.