Quantification, immunoaffinity purification and sequence analysis of a pigment-dispersing hormone of the shore crab, Carcinus maenas (L.).

1. A sensitive sandwich-ELISA for pigment-dispersing hormone (PDH) with a detection limit of approximately 5 fmol per well has been developed using primary IgG and secondary biotinylated IgG fractions from an antiserum against beta-PDH and streptavidin-peroxidase conjugate for detection. 2. ELISA determinations in different parts of the central nervous system of the shore crab Carcinus maenas revealed maximum levels of 15.1 pmol immunoreactive PDH in the two eyestalk ganglia of one crab, 3.6 pmol in the sinus glands, 2.8 pmol in the brain and 0.8 pmol in the thoracic ganglia. 3. Carcinus PDH was purified from whole eyestalk ganglia and sinus glands by use of a simple two-step purification procedure consisting of immunoaffinity-prepurification on an anti-PDH IgG-protein A-Sepharose column and HPLC. 4. Automated gas-phase sequencing of the purified peptide and FAB-mass spectroscopy unambiguously revealed the sequence of Carcinus PDH as NSELINSILGLPKVMNDAamide (M(r) 1927.2 Da), which is identical to the beta-PDH of other brachyuran crustaceans.