Changes in the subunit structure ofCancer magister hemocyanin during larval development

✍ Scribed by Terwilliger, Nora B. ;Terwilliger, Robert C.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1982
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 862 KB
• Volume: 221
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-104X
• DOI: 10.1002/jez.1402210209

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Hemocyanin is present in the megalops and young juvenile stages of the Dungeness crab Cancer magister. The hemocyanin of these early developmental stages resembles that of the adult in molecular weight, appearance in the electron microscope, and copper content. The six subunits of megalops and early juvenile hemocyanins are similar in molecular weight to those of the adult (M~r~ = 67,000–82,000); however, the larval 25S hemocyanins and the adult 25S hemocyanin each contain one unique subunit. The five other 25S hemocyanin subunits are present in different relative amounts in the youngs crabs than in the adult. The subunit composition of adult 16S hemocyanin includes only five of the six adult 25S subunits. The 16S hemocyanin fractions of the megalops and juvenile crabs are different from adult 16S as well as adult, juvenile, and megalops 25S hemocyanins. This is the first ontogenic structural change in crustacean hemocyanins that has been documented.