Cloning of prophenoloxidase from hemocytes of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus and its expression and enzyme activity during the molt cycle

• The full-length PPO cDNA is isolated from the hemocytes of Callinectes sapidus.
• CasPPO-hemo expression is constant during the molt cycle except at ecdysis.
• PO activity correlates with the numbers of hemocytes and varies at late premolt.
• CasPPO-hemo may be involved in shell hardening process.

The arthropods cuticle undergoes dramatic morphological and biochemical changes from being soft to hardness through each molting process. Prophenoloxidase (PPO) known as a key enzyme in the arthropod innate immune system involved in the melanization reaction, has been related with the initial shell-hardening process, specifically in the sclerotization of the protein matrix in the new cuticle. Since hemocytes have been reported as the main PPO source in arthropods, the transport of hemocyte PPO into the newly laid, soft cuticle has been proposed for shell-hardening occurring during and immediately after ecdysis. In order to define the role of hemocyte PPO in the shell-hardening of crustaceans, the full-length cDNA sequence (2806 nt) of hemocytes PPO of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus (CasPPO-hemo) is isolated using degenerate PCR and 5′-3′ RACE. CasPPO-hemo encodes a putative PPO (672 aa) showing three hemocyanin domains: N, M, and C in order and two copper binding sites (CuA & CuB). The sequence analysis identifies the putative CasPPO-hemo as zymogen which requires the cleavage at the N-terminus for its activation. Hemocyte extract (CasHLS) contains the PO, the activity of which depends on the in vitro activation of trypsin. The expression levels of CasPPO-hemo are kept constant during the molt cycle. The increase in the number of hemocytes at early premolt correlates with the elevated PO activity, while at late premolt, the increment in hemocyte numbers does not reflect on the PO activity. The functional importance of the changes in the levels of CasHLS-PO activity during molt cycle is discussed in relation to cuticle hardening process.