Tissue-specific expressed sequence tags from the black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon

Expressed sequence tag data were generated from complementary DNA libraries created from cephalothorax, eyestalk, and pleopod tissue of the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). Significant database matches were found for 48 of 83 nuclear genes sequenced from the cephalothorax library, 22 of 55 nuclear genes from the eyestalk library, and 6 of 13 nuclear genes from the pleopod library. The putative identities of these genes reflected the expected tissue specificity. For example, genes for digestive enzymes were identified from the cephalothorax library and genes involved in the visual and neuroendocrine system from the eyestalk library. A few sequences matched anonymous EST or genomic sequences, and others contained mini-satellite or microsatellite repeat sequences. The remainder, 31 from the cephalothorax library, 25 from the eyestalk library, and 5 from the pleopod library, were sequences of high nucleotide complexity with no matches in any database searched and thus may represent novel genes.