Ontogenetic changes in proteins and isozyme expression in larval and juvenile bonefish (Albula)

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Abstract
Developmental changes in soluble proteins and 16 enzymes were followed in metamorphosing leptocephalous larvae and juveniles of the bonefish (Albula sp.) using polyacrylamide gel and starch gel electrophoresis. Metamorphosis was characterized by relatively rapid and pronounced changes in amounts of specific proteins and in expression of different enzymes and isozymes. These effects are assumed to reflect changes in activity of structural genes. The metamorphic change from a largely gelatinous larval body matrix to the juvenile morphology involves a dramatic increase in muscle development. A corresponding increase was observed in the expression of the A4 isozyme of lactate dehydrogenase and the A2 isozyme of creatine kinase, isozymes characteristic of muscle tissue. Increased expression of various isozymes and a specific protein (Mr ∼ 14,000) was also observed in developing eye tissue. Differential expression of isozymes of malate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, and glucose‐6‐phosphate isomerase, in early metamorphosing larvae collected from shallow water and deeper water, suggests that the near‐shore environment may be an important factor in “triggering” the metamorphic period.