Regulatory mechanism of vitellogenesis-inhibiting hormone in the kuruma prawn Marsupenaeus japonicus

在甲壳类动物中，卵巢发育受眼柄神经内分泌系统分泌的卵黄生成抑制激素（VIH）的抑制调节。本研究以日本麻袋对虾为研究对象，探讨了其调控机制。在未成熟的虾中，血淋巴VIH水平持续较低。这一结果表明，在未成熟阶段，VIH抑制卵巢发育，其水平的下降是卵巢发育开始的触发因素。此外，眼柄切除后，卵巢中几个基因的表达水平发生了变化。这一结果表明，多种基因参与了卵巢发育的启动。

In crustaceans, ovarian development is under the inhibitory regulation of vitellogenesis-inhibiting hormone (VIH) secreted from a neuroendocrine system in the eyestalks. In this study, its regulatory mechanism was investigated in the kuruma prawn Marsupenaeus japonicus. In immature shrimp, hemolymph VIH levels were constantly low. This result suggests that VIH inhibits ovarian development during the immature stage and that a decline of its levels is a trigger of the initiation of ovarian development. Furthermore, after eyestalk ablation, expression levels of several genes were found to change in the ovaries. This result suggests that various genes are involved in the initiation of ovarian development.