Purification and characterization of the common yolk protein, vitellin, from the estuarine amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus

Vitellin is a major yolk protein that plays a significant role in the embryonic development of crustacean embryos. This protein was rapidly purified from embryos of the estuarine amphipod, Leptocheirus plumulosus, by subjecting the crude protein homogenate to high affinity column chromatography. SDS-PAGE revealed a single band with an approximate molecular weight of 200,000 daltons. Vitellin was characterized by SDS-PAGE techniques and amino acid composition analysis. L. plumulosus vitellin is a lipoglycophosphoprotein with serine, glutamic acid/glutamine, alanine, and aspartic acid/asparagine accounting for almost 66% of all amino acid residues. Polyclonal antibodies were raised against L. plumulosus vitellin and antibody reactivity was verified by dot-blotting and immuno-fluorescence confocal microscopy. These antibodies are specific for purified vitellin and show little cross-reactivity with other embryonic proteins.