PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF VITELLIN FROM THE MATURE OVARIES OF PRAWN, MACROBRACHIUM-ROSENBERGII

1. A purified vitellin was isolated from the mature ovaries of the prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) after the purification with gel filtration, DEAE-Sephacel, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). 2. Three vitellins were detected in PAGE and HPLC and their respective retention times in HPLC were 30.7 min (Vn 1, molecular weight = 240 kDa), 25.5 min (Vn 2,450 kDa) and 22.2 min (Vn 3, 800 kDa). The vitellin eluted at 30.7 min in HPLC was the major protein. 3. Each vitellin consistently had two polypeptide subunits (90 and 104 kDa) and a minimum molecular weight of 194 kDa. Vn 1 and mixed vitellins (Vn 1 + Vn 2 + Vn 3) were immunologically identical. 4. The purified vitellin has been suggested as a lipo-glyco-carotenoprotein. The amino acid composition of vitellins has also been analyzed.