Presence of serotonin and its receptor in the central nervous system and ovary and molecular cloning of the novel crab serotonin receptor of the blue swimming crab, Portunus pelagicus.

Serotonin (5-HT) plays pivotal roles in many physiological processes including reproduction of crustaceans, which are mediated 5-HT receptors. The distributions of 5-HT and its receptor have never been explored in Portunus pelagicus. To validate the targets which indirectly indicate the roles of 5-HT in this crab, we have investigated the distribution of 5-HT in the central nervous system (CNS) and ovary using immunohistochemistry and tissue expression of its receptor by RT-PCR.

Three-dimensional organization of the brain and distribution of serotonin in the brain and ovary, and its effects on ovarian steroidogenesis in the giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii.

The giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, is an economically important crustacean species which has also been extensively used as a model in neuroscience research. The crustacean central nervous system is a highly complex structure, especially the brain. However, little information is available on the brain structure, especially the three-dimensional organization.

Molecular cloning and distribution of oxytocin/vasopressin-like mRNA in the blue swimming crab, Portunus pelagicus, and its inhibitory effect on ovarian steroid release.

This study was aimed to characterize the full length of mRNA of oxytocin/vasopressin (OT/VP)-like mRNA in female Portunus pelagicus (PpelOT/VP-like mRNA) using a partial PpelOT/VP-like sequence obtained previously in our transcriptome analysis (Saetan, 2014) to construct the primers. The PpelOT/VP-like mRNA was 626 bp long and it encoded the preprohormones containing 158 amino acids. This preprohormone consisted of a signal peptide, an active nonapeptide (CFITNCPPG) followed by the dibasic cleavage site (GKR), and the neurophysin domain.