Trypsin isozymes in the lobster Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804): from molecules to physiology

Trypsin enzymes have been studied in a wide variety of animal taxa due to their central role in protein digestion as well as in other important physiological and biotechnological processes. Crustacean trypsins exhibit a high number of isoforms. However, while differences in properties of isoenzymes are known to play important roles in regulating different physiological processes, there is little information on this aspect for decapod trypsins. The aim of this review is to integrate recent findings at the molecular level on trypsin enzymes of the spiny lobster Panulirus argus, into higher levels of organization (biochemical, organism) and to interpret those findings in relation to the feeding ecology of these crustaceans. Trypsin in lobster is a polymorphic enzyme, showing isoforms that differ in their biochemical features and catalytic efficiencies. Molecular studies suggest that polymorphism in lobster trypsins may be non-neutral. Trypsin isoenzymes are differentially regulated by dietary proteins, and it seems that some isoenzymes have undergone adaptive evolution coupled with a divergence in expression rate to increase fitness. This review highlights important but poorly studied issues in crustaceans in general, such as the relation among trypsin polymorphism, phenotypic (digestive) flexibility, digestion efficiency, and feeding ecology.