Wheat germ agglutinin affinity chromatography enrichment and glyco-proteomic characterization of tetrodotoxin-binding proteins from the plasma of cultured tiger pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes).

Efficient enrichment of tetrodotoxin (TTX)-binding proteins from the plasma of cultured tiger pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes) was achieved by ammonium sulfate fractionation and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) affinity chromatography. The enrichment efficiency was validated by ultrafiltration-LC/MS-based TTX-binding assay and proteomics. Major proteins in the WGA-bound fraction were identified as isoform X1 (125 kDa) and X2 variants (88 and 79 kDa) derived from pufferfish saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin-binding protein (PSTBP) 1-like gene (LOC101075943).

Identification and Characterization of the Larval Settlement Pheromone Protein Components in Adult Shells of : A Novel Function of Shell Matrix Proteins.

The global decline of natural oyster populations emphasizes the need to improve our understanding of their biology. Understanding the role of chemical cues from conspecifics on how oysters occupy appropriate substrata is crucial to learning about their evolution, population dynamics, and chemical communication. Here, a novel role of a macromolecular assembly of shell matrix proteins which act as Settlement Pheromone Protein Components in adult shells is demonstrated as the biological cue responsible for gregarious settlement on conspecifics.

Regulatory Role of Sugars on the Settlement Inducing Activity of a Conspecific Cue in Pacific Oyster .

This study evaluated the larval settlement inducing effect of sugars and a conspecific cue from adult shell extract of . To understand how the presence of different chemical cues regulate settlement behavior, oyster larvae were exposed to 12 types of sugars, shell extract-coated and non-coated surfaces, and under varied sugar exposure times. Lectin-glycan interaction effects on settlement and its localization on oyster larval tissues were investigated.