Expression and Distribution of Gonad‐stimulating Substance in Various Organs of the Starfish Asterina pectinifera

Abstract

Gonad-stimulating substance (GSS) is the first invertebrate gonadotropic neuropeptide hormone identified in a marine invertebrate, the starfish. Here, we show expression and distribution of GSS in various organs of the starfish Asterina pectinifera. Levels of GSS were high in the radial nerves and nerve ring. GSS was also observed in the cardiac stomachs and tube-feet, although in low amounts, but it was undetectable in the gonads and in the pyloric ceca. Reverse transcriptase-PCR revealed that the mRNA of GSS was transcribed mainly in the radial nerves.