Purification and characterization of an isoform of crustacean hyperglycemic hormone from the eyestalk of Macrobrachium rosenbergii.

Isolation of the crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH) from the eyestalk of the giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii was performed using 5,000 ground eye-stalks extracted in methanol-acetic acid-water (90:1:9). After the extract was partially purified using C18 cartridges, it was further purified by eight steps of RP-HPLC using four kinds of columns: C18, C8, cyano and phenyl, and three solvent systems: acetonitrile (ACN)/trifluoroacetic acid, ACN/heptafluoroacetic acid and ACN/triethylammonium acetate. The bioassay of CHH during purification was done by injection of eluate fractions into eyestalk-ablated prawns and determination of the ability of the fractions to elevate glucose in the haemolymph. A complete amino acid sequence analysis was performed on one isoform of CHH (Mar-CHH-1), consisting of 71 residues. The sequence of Mar-CHH-1 shows considerable similarity (45-68%) to CHHs reported in other crustaceans. It is expected that there might be more than one isoform of CHH in M. rosenbergii.