Vitellin (Vt) was purified from ovary extracts of mature females of the banana shrimp Litopenaeus merguiensis using DEAE-Sephacel and
Superdex 200 columns. Native Vt had an apparent molecular mass of 398 kDa as determined by native PAGE and by gel filtration
chromatography. Under reducing and denaturing conditions (SDS-PAGE), Vt is composed of two major subunits of 87 and 78 kDa, although some
faint bands were also detected. The N-terminal 10 amino acids sequence of the 78 kDa subunit is identical to that of Litopenaeus vannamei Vt and
very similar to that of Litopenaeus japonicus vitellogenin (Vg) as well as Litopenaeus semisulcatus Vt, with an identity of 89%. Anti-Vt
polyclonal antibody raised against purified Vt shows a high specificity with only ovarian Vt and hemolymph Vg of vitellogenic shrimps in double
immunodiffusion and Western blot assays. Vg and Vt concentrations in hemolymph, hepatopancreas and ovaries were measured by ELISA. Vg
concentrations increased in the hemolymph in the early stages of ovarian development and declined in the maturation stages. As there were
undetectable concentrations of Vg in the hepatopancreas while an elevation of Vg levels occurred in the hemolymph, during the time that Vt was
accumulating in the ovaries during oogenesis, this would suggest that the contribution of Vg synthesized by the hepatopancreas only might be not
sufficient for adequate development of the oocytes in the banana shrimp L. merguiensis during vitellogenesis.
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