Meeting Abstract

P3.41  Saturday, Jan. 5  Induction of Collagenase Activities by 20-Hydroxyecdysone in the Epidermis of the Fiddler Crab, Uca pugilator TOUPS, E.*; ZOU, E.; Nicholls State University; Nicholls State University toupe208@its.nicholls.edu

Crustaceans are limited to discontinuous growth due to their rigid exoskeleton. In order to grow they must shed their exoskeleton periodically. The crustacean exoskeleton is made up of chitin, proteins and minerals. It has previously been shown that activities of chitinolytic enzymes, chitinase and chitobiase, in the epidermis are inducible by the molting hormone. This study was undertaken to investigate whether collagenase activities in the epidermis are also under control of the molting hormone using the fiddler crab, Uca pugilator, as the model. We found that collagenase activities vary during the molting cycle and injection of 20-hydroxyecdysone induces epidermal collagenase activities. These results strongly suggest that epidermal collagenase activities in Uca pugilator are regulated by the molting hormone. This is the first report on epidermal collagenase activities and their inducibility by an ecdysteroid in a crustacean.