The role of a fatty acid hormone in the reproduction of the polychaeteArenicola marina(L.)

Abstract

Invertebrate Reproduction and Development, 30: 1-3 (1 996) 159-1 65 Balaban, Philadelphia/Rehovot 0168-8 170/96/$05.00 Q 1996 Balaban SummaryReproduction in the lugworm Arenicola marina is annual and, for most populations, occurs in the late autumn or early winter. Oocyte maturation in females and sperm activation of males and spawning are under hormonal control. In males the polyunsaturated fatty acid, 8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid, causes both activation of the spermatozoa (Bentley et al., 1990) and spawning (Pacey and Bentley, 1992). Dissociation of syncitial sperm masses occurs in response to the fatty acid. Active swimming of spermatozoa then follows on dilution in seawater (as a consequence of elevation of internal pH, pHi), and fertilization of the eggs takes place in the burrow of the female. Sperm activation can also be induced by arachidonic and 5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acids but not by the 1 1,14,17-isomer. This suggests a possible role for cyclooxygenases or lipoxygenases. Sperm activation by the PUFAs is inhibited by nordihydroguaiaretic acid (50 pM) and eicosatriynoic acid (13 p M ) suggesting that 12-lipoxygenase acts during activation. Possible involvement of the fitty acid in co-ordination of reproduction between individuals is also discussed.

Discovery of an 11(R)‐ and 12(S)‐lipoxygenase activity in ovaries of the mussel Mytilus edulis

“…A number of 8-hydroxylated eicosanoid metabolites, including 8(R)-HEPE, have been reported to stimulate hatching of barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides) embryos (9,10). LO products have been implicated in sperm activation of the polychaete Arenicola marina (11). Together, these studies suggest that LO metabolites may play an important role in the reproductive physiology of a number of aquatic invertebrates.…”

Trophic upgrading of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids by polychaetes: a stable isotope approach using Alitta virens

“…The cyclooxygenase pathway has been suggested to be an important eicosanoid pathway in polychaetes (Meunpol et al 2005(Meunpol et al , 2010. Bentley et al (1990) and Bentley and Hardege (1996) have also suggested a reproductive function for arachidonic acid together with dihomo-α-linoleate (C20:3n6) which act as oocyte maturation hormones.…”