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Identification of the aromatic L ‐amino acid decarboxylase ( AADC ) gene and its expression in the attachment and metamorphosis of the barnacle, Balanus amphitrite
Author(s) -
Okazaki Yuichi,
Shizuri Yoshikazu
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
development, growth and differentiation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.864
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1440-169X
pISSN - 0012-1592
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-169x.2001.00552.x
Subject(s) - metamorphosis , biology , balanus , aromatic l amino acid decarboxylase , serotonin , biochemistry , larva , microbiology and biotechnology , enzyme , ecology , receptor
Serotonin and dopamine are involved in the attachment and metamorphosis of cypris larvae of barnacles. Aromatic L ‐amino acid decarboxylase ( AADC ) gene, the product of which catalyzes the synthesis of serotonin and dopamine from L ‐5‐hydroxytryptophan and L ‐3,4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine, respectively, was characterized. A DNA clone containing part of an AADC sequence was obtained from the genomic DNA library of the barnacle, Balanus amphitrite . This clone had four putative exons consisting of 226 amino acids with an identity of 63.2% and a similarity of 92.1% with human AADC. Northern blot analysis showed that AADC mRNA was expressed at all stages of barnacles: naupliar larvae, cypris larvae and adult barnacles. Two inducers of larval attachment and metamorphosis; that is, serotonin and extract of adult barnacles, obviously increased the expression of AADC mRNA at an early cypris larval stage. These results suggest that intracellular biosynthesis of serotonin, or dopamine, or both is at least partly involved in the control of the attachment and metamorphosis of cypris larvae.