AN ARTIFICIAL BAIT BASED ON A PEPTIDE ATTRACTANT FOUND IN HORSESHOE CRAB EGGS

摘要

The present invention relates to a novel attractant for fish and mollusks isolated from the eggs of the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus. The invention also relates to a method for attractant peptide extraction, separation, purification, quantitation, and characterization of function. In other aspects, the invention provides for the isolation of the attractant peptide from horseshoe crab eggs for use as "bait" for attracting fish and mollusks. More particularly, the invention relates to the use of biochemical approaches to characterize a peptide attractant, and provides for the creation of recombinant or synthetic attractant peptides, and their use.