Macrobrachium malcolmsonii (Milne-Edwards, 1844)
Common name: monsoon river prawn
Geographic Division: Southern Asia
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Macrobrachium malcolmsonii (collection of Dr.Arun Solayan)
Does Cytochrome P450 exists in Prawn?
Macrobrachium malcolmsonii is an omnivorous bottom-dwelling freshwater prawn. The common name of this prawn is "monsoon river prawn". It feeds on decomposing plants and animals, small worms, insects and their larvae. They are also cannibalistic in nature and may consume freshly molted co- species. In Asian countries particularly in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh the freshwater prawn species Macrobrachium malcolmsonii, M.rosenbergii and M. gangeticum are of special interest for aquaculture. M.malcolmsonii is nocturnal in habit and feeds more actively at night. Being an indigenous freshwater river species M. malcolmsonii is more tolerant to environmental fluctuations and comparatively more resistant to contaminants. Males grow bigger than females, and even in the same sex, there exists heterogeneity in growth. Those that grow faster tend to become dominant, while others remain stunted (1). Cytochrome P450 related enzymes play the main role in the removal of toxic compounds from their bodies. Activities of antioxidant enzymes were analysed in freshwater prawn Macrobrachium malcolmsonii during embryonic and larval development. An elevated level of antioxidant enzymes was encountered in the larval stage of M. malcolmsonii when compared to its preceding embryonic stages. It is suggested that when the larvae hatched out from the embryo they may be exposed to hyper oxygen condition and there may be a chance for facing oxyradicals in the aquatic environment. To detoxify these oxyradicals an enhanced level of antioxidant enzymes was found in M.malcolmsonii larvae.(2)
Cytochrome P450 is a hemeprotein involved in the metabolism of a xenobiotic compound. It has been extensively studied and reported that induction of cytochrome P450 protein-related ethoxyresorufin –O- deethylase (EROD)enzyme is successfully involved in the metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fishes. CYP 450 related EROD enzyme is widely used as a biomarker to organic pollution in the marine environment. There is no detailed information available on aquatic invertebrates about the existence of ethoxyresorufin o deethylase (EROD) enzyme. Researchers attempted to find out the presence of EROD activity in the larvae of malcolmsonii and adult species. They reported the presence of EROD activity in the larvae, sub-adults and adults of the crustacean, Macrobrachium malcolmsonii and suggested that CYP450 and related monooxygenase enzymes could be used as a biomarker to organic pollution (3,4,5)
References
1) Radheyshyam (2009) Farming the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium malcolmsonii Aquaculture Asia January-March: 29-32
2) Arun Solayan and Subramanian Periasamy (1998) Antioxidant enzymes in freshwater prawn Macrobrachium malcolmsonii during embryonic and larval development. Comp.Biochem.Physiol (B) 121-3: 273-277
3)Arun Solayan and Subramanian Periasamy (2007) Cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase system mediated hydrocarbon metabolism and antioxidant enzyme responses in prawn, Macrobrachium malcolmsonii .Comp. Biochem and Physiol( C): 145- 4, 610-616
4)Arun Solayan , P. Subramanian and A. Rajendran (2006) subcellular/tissue distribution and responses to oil exposure of the cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase system and glutathione S-transferase in freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium malcolmsonii, M. lamarrei lamarrei) Ecotoxicology, 15-4:341-346
5)Arun Solayan , P. Subramanian and A. Rajendran Ethoxyresorufin – O - deethylase activity in oil effluent exposed crustacea ( Macrobrachium malcolmsonii ). Research paper presented on NIO-Goa, conducted International Conference. http://210.212.160.230/past_events/comits/pmb_01.pdf http://drs.nio.org/past_events/comits/mar_pollut.jsp