Abstract
In shrimp aquaculture, eyestalk ablation is the only technique that is widely used to accelerate ovarian development. Alternative methods for producing improved ovarian development in broodstock are currently being investigated. Several factors involved in the regulation of ovarian development in shrimp have been investigated. Among these factors, growth factors in the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily have been implicated as playing potential roles in the regulation of gonad development. In this work, a member of the TGF-β superfamily known as glass bottom boat (GBB), an ortholog of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), was investigated to uncover its role in ovarian development in the banana shrimp Fenneropenaeus merguiensis. Full-length cDNA of FmGBB was obtained from transcriptome data. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the sequence of FmGBB from banana shrimp was similar to those of other arthropods and vertebrate BMP 5/6/7, but was different from those of decapentaplegic proteins and vertebrate BMP 2/4. The FmGBB transcript was found to be widely expressed in shrimp tissues, and its expression in the ovary was dramatically increased in early and late vitellogenic stages during ovarian development and decreased in the mature stage, suggesting its role in vitellogenesis. To study the effects of FmGBB, a soluble recombinant mature FmGBB peptide (His-TF-rgbb) containing both monomers and homodimers was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli. The His-TF-rgbb peptide triggered oocyte proliferation in both cultured ovarian explants and in previtellogenic shrimp upon injection. Interestingly, the injection of His-TF-rgbb into previtellogenic female shrimp stimulated an increase in Vg expression in their ovaries while suppressing production of 20-hydroxyecdysone. Our results suggest the potential role of FmGBB in oocyte proliferation and vitellogenesis; this novel finding can be utilized to stimulate ovarian development in cultured shrimp.
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