Abstract
BackgroundAmong the digestive enzymes, phospholipase A2 (PLA2) hydrolyzes the essential dietary phospholipids in marine fish and shellfish. However, we know little about the organs that produce PLA2, and the ontogeny of the PLA2-cells. Accordingly, accurate localization of PLA2 in marine snails might afford a better understanding permitting the control of the quality and composition of diets and the mode of digestion of lipid food.ResultsWe have previously producted an antiserum reacting specifically with mSDPLA2. It labeled zymogen granules of the hepatopancreatic acinar cells and the secretory materials of certain epithelial cells in the depths of epithelial crypts in the hepatopancreas of snail. To confirm this localization a laser capture microdissection was performed targeting stained cells of hepatopancreas tissue sections. A Western blot analysis revealed a strong signal at the expected size (30 kDa), probably corresponding to the PLA2.ConclusionsThe present results support the presence of two hepatopancreatic intracellular and extracellular PLA2 in the prosobranchs gastropods molluscs, Littorina littorea and Buccinum undatum and bring insights on their localizations.
Highlights
Among the digestive enzymes, phospholipase A2 (PLA2) hydrolyzes the essential dietary phospholipids in marine fish and shellfish
This study describes immunohistochemically analysis of PLA2 in the hepatopancreas organs of the adults’ marine snail littorina littorea and Buccinum undatum using an antiserum against Hexaplex trunculus hepatopancreatic PLA2 [9]
Morphological analysis of digestive epithelium The digestive gland of the gastropod snail, Littorina littorea consists of blind ending tubules composed of basophilic and digestive cells (Figure 1) [10,11]
Summary
Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) hydrolyzes the essential dietary phospholipids in marine fish and shellfish. Accurate localization of PLA2 in marine snails might afford a better understanding permitting the control of the quality and composition of diets and the mode of digestion of lipid food. The digestive glands of most molluscs present a common organization and a single epithelium comprised by at least two cell types, namely, digestive and basophilic cells found in the digestive diverticula [2]. The digestive enzymes are well characterized, including pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and amylase, little information is available on the lipid digestive enzymes: lipases and phospholipases. This is mostly due to difficulties in purification and histochemical analysis of the enzymes in fish [4]
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