title: Vitellogenin isolation, purification and antigenic cross-reactivity in three teleost species.
abstract: Vitellogenin (Vtg) was isolated from male greenback flounder (Rhombosolea tapirina), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) plasma, following induction by estradiol (E(2)) inoculation. The molecular weight of each native molecule, as determined by gel filtration, was 540, 383 and 557 kDa, respectively. With sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing conditions, Atlantic salmon and greenback flounder Vtg appeared as three major bands (approximately 159, 117, 86 kDa and 155, 104, 79 kDa, respectively), whereas rainbow trout Vtg appeared as one major band (approximately 154 kDa). Several minor bands were also present in each Vtg isolate. Polyclonal antisera, produced against only the highest molecular weight band from each species following excision from reducing gels, were reactive with all major bands in Western blots. In competition ELISA, parallel binding slopes were demonstrated between purified Vtg and plasma from vitellogenic females of the same species, but there was no reaction with plasma from untreated males. These antisera were highly species-specific and little cross-reactivity was noted, even between the two salmonid species. These data suggest that excision of bands from gels is a simple procedure for the preparation of species-specific antisera, and confirm that cross-species assays give highly variable results.
authors.affiliation: School of Aquaculture, Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, University of Tasmania, Locked Bag 1-370, Launceston, Tasmania 7250, Australia. marianne.watts@utas.edu.au
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watts
authors.forename: N W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Pankhurst
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pryce
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes / Q000097:blood*; D005432:Flounder / Q000097:blood; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008970:Molecular Weight; D017686:Oncorhynchus mykiss / Q000097:blood; D020317:Salmo salar / Q000097:blood; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014819:Vitellogenins / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D007106:Immune Sera; D014819:Vitellogenins