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First published online December 15, 2004
Journal of Experimental Biology 208, 3-14 (2005)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2005
doi: 10.1242/jeb.01275

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Prostaglandins in non-insectan invertebrates: recent insights and unsolved problems

Andrew F. Rowley^1,*, Claire L. Vogan^1,, Graham W. Taylor² and Anthony S. Clare³

¹ School of Biological Sciences, University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
² Proteomics Section, Imperial College, Faculty of Medicine, London W12 0NN, UK
³ School of Marine Science and Technology, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle NE1 7RU, UK

View larger version (17K): [in a new window]   Fig. 1. Biosynthetic routes for the generation of `classical' prostaglandins (PG) as found in mammals.

View larger version (16K): [in a new window]   Fig. 2. Structure of some of the novel prostaglandin-like compounds formed in invertebrates. Structures from LipidBank (http://lipidbank.jp/index00.shtml).

View larger version (47K): [in a new window]   Fig. 3. Life cycle of barnacles and the times when eicosanoids are thought to play a role in development (red boxes). Following fertilisation the eggs are brooded in the mantle cavity where hatching is under the control of hatching factors. The resulting planktonic larval stages undergo several moults until giving rise to the cyprid stage that uses its antennules to probe for suitable settlement sites. At settlement, these moult to give rise to juveniles (spat) that also grow and moult to give rise to a filter-feeding sedentary adult.

View larger version (21K): [in a new window]   Fig. 4. Ionophore-challenged B. amphitrite larval sample showing generation of prostaglandin (PG)-like material prepared in the absence of the COX inhibitor, indomethacin. (A) HPLC-MS trace showing characteristic peak generation in the m/z 351 and 353 ion channels for the eicosanoid standards, PGE2, PGD2, PGF2 and trioxilin A3. (B) Larval sample showing peaks with prostaglandin-like masses (I-IV) on HPLC-MS prepared in parallel and run under identical HPLC-MS conditions to the standards in A. (C) HPLC fractions collected from material shown in B that was subsequently lyophilised, resuspended in buffer and assayed on a total PG Screening Assay Kit (Cayman Chemicals, Ann Arbor, MI, USA) designed to react with all classical PGs. This immunoreactivity was significantly reduced when barnacle samples were pre-incubated with indomethacin (20 µmol l-1) prior to ionophore challenge (not shown).

View larger version (20K): [in a new window]   Fig. 5. The proposed mechanism of biosynthesis of prostaglandins in the coral, Plexaura homomalla (modified from Valmsen et al., 2001).