Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) , water transport proteins, have been cloned from a wide variety of species, however, little is known in crustaceans. The objective of this study is to clone the AQP from crayfish and examine the mRNA expression, both temporally (molting cycle) and spatially (tissue‐specific). A pair of degenerate primers was used in amplifying a 367bp fragment of cDNA from crayfish antennal gland. The deduced amino acid sequence showed homology with AQPs from mosquito (54%), drosophila (52%), rat (42%) and human (43%). The AQP mRNA expression in the antennal gland was compared with that of other epithelia tissues: gill and hepatopancreas and non‐epithelia tissues: cardiac muscle and tail muscle, by using real‐time PCR. Compared with antennal gland, the expression was lower in gill and higher in cardiac muscle and hepatopancreas respectively. No significant difference was found in tail muscle. Also, the relative mRNA expression of AQP in antennal gland is lower in the premolt when compared to inter‐ and post‐ molt stages. These preliminary observations suggest that crayfish AQP does play an important role in transferring water, regulating nutrients and salt conservation in multiple tissues and the molting stages. Future study will be focused on the expression of this aquaporin in the different tissues of crayfish during molting. (Supported by Grants IBN 0445202 to MGW, YG and CMG).
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
