Effect of fasting on digestive gland lipase transcripts expression in Penaeus vannamei

Digestive and intracellular lipases were studied in the digestive gland of whiteleg shrimp Penaeus vannamei. A partial sequence of the intracellular lipase was obtained from the digestive gland cDNA. The digestive and intracellular lipase mRNAs were detected differentially in different body parts of shrimp; digestive lipase mRNA is exclusively found in the digestive gland, suggesting a function as a digestive enzyme. Intracellular lipase mRNA was found in pleopods, digestive tube, uropods, hemocytes, muscle and gonad and its function was related to mobilization of energy reserves. The lipase transcripts in the digestive gland of shrimp, showed a dynamic expression at 120 h of fasting causing significant changes of digestive and intracellular mRNA, intracellular lipase mRNA were 3.33-fold higher than digestive lipase mRNA after fasting period, suggesting an alternate expression to maintain the lipid homeostasis under stress conditions.

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► Digestive gland of shrimp synthesizes two lipases, a digestive and an intracellular.
► Regulation of transcripts lipases during fasting involves and alternation in transcription of lipases.
► Shrimp lipases are tissue specific and differ in physiological function.
► Penaeus vannamei lipases are the first lipases described for shrimps.