Potent cellulase activity in the hepatopancreas of mangrove crabs

Mangrove crabs play a crucial role in the carbon cycle in forests by consuming large amounts of mangrove litter, which is mainly composed of cellulose. However, the detailed mechanism of cellulose digestion remains to be elucidated. We tested endogenous hepatopancreatic cellulase activity in eight species of crabs, including three mangrove sesarmid crabs ( Episesarma versicolor , Perisesarma indiarum , and Episesarma palawanense ) native to Thailand. Endo-β-1,4-glucanase activity was significantly higher in the enzyme extract from mangrove crabs than in that from Japanese marsh crabs. A β-glucosidase assay revealed particularly high endo-β-1,4-glucanase activity for E. versicolor , whereas little activity was observed for the Japanese marsh crabs. In a zymogram analysis for endo-β-1,4-glucanase activity, endo-β-1,4-glucanase had a similar molecular mass (30.7–33.1 kDa) among the mangrove crabs, whereas various sizes (44.3–84.8 kDa) were found in Japanese crabs depending on the species. These results suggest that mangrove crabs efficiently digest cellulose endogenously.