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Shen Z, Liu Z, Chen J, Li Y, Mao J, Wang M, Zhang L. Functional analysis of adipokinetic hormone signaling in reproductive diapause of Coccinella septempunctata. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2024; 80:3665-3674. [PMID: 38459943 DOI: 10.1002/ps.8070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ladybeetle, Coccinella septempunctata, an important predator, is widely used to control aphids, whiteflies, mites, thrips, and lepidopteran pests. Diapause control technology is key to extending C. septempunctata shelf-life and commercialization. Lipid accumulation is a major feature of reproductive diapause, but the function of AKH signaling as a regulator of lipid mobilization in reproductive diapause remains unclear. This study aimed to identify and characterize AKH and AKHR genes, and clarify their functions in reproductive diapause. RESULTS The relative expression levels of CsAKH and CsAKHR were the highest in the head and fat body, respectively, and were significantly decreased under diapause conditions, both in developmental stages and tissues (head, midgut, fat body, and ovary). Furthermore, CsAKH and CsAKHR expression was increased significantly after juvenile hormone (JH) injection, but CsMet silencing significantly inhibited CsAKH and CsAKHR expression, whereas CsMet knockdown blocked the induction effect of JH. CsAKH and CsAKHR knockdown significantly reduced water content, increased lipid storage, and promoted the expression of genes related to lipid synthesis, but significantly blocked ovarian development, and induced forkhead box O (FOXO) gene expression in C. septempunctata under reproduction conditions. By contrast, injection of AKH peptide significantly inhibited FOXO expression, reduced lipid storage, and increased water content in C. septempunctata under diapause conditions. CONCLUSION These results indicate that CsAKH and CsAKHR are involved in the regulation of lipid accumulation and ovarian development during diapause in C. septempunctata, and provide a promising target for manipulating C. septempunctata diapause. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongjian Shen
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Natural Enemy Insects, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhaohan Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Natural Enemy Insects, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Junjie Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Natural Enemy Insects, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yuyan Li
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Natural Enemy Insects, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jianjun Mao
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Natural Enemy Insects, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mengqing Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Natural Enemy Insects, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lisheng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Natural Enemy Insects, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
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2
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Orchard I, Lange AB. The neuroendocrine and endocrine systems in insect - Historical perspective and overview. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2024; 580:112108. [PMID: 37956790 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2023.112108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
A complex cascade of events leads to the initiation and maintenance of a behavioral act in response to both internally and externally derived stimuli. These events are part of a transition of the animal into a new behavioral state, coordinated by chemicals that bias tissues and organs towards a new functional state of the animal. This form of integration is defined by the neuroendocrine (or neurosecretory) system and the endocrine system that release neurohormones or hormones, respectively. Here we describe the classical neuroendocrine and endocrine systems in insects to provide an historic perspective and overview of how neurohormones and hormones support plasticity in behavioral expression. Additionally, we describe peripheral tissues such as the midgut, epitracheal glands, and ovaries, which, whilst not necessarily being endocrine glands in the pure sense of the term, do produce and release hormones, thereby providing even more flexibility for inter-organ communication and regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Orchard
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd., Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada.
| | - Angela B Lange
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd., Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada.
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3
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Tsai PS, Sanders KN, Dai X, Plachetzki D. Authentication of a lophotrochozoan adipokinetic hormone receptor in a Gastropod, Aplysia californica. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2024; 345:114393. [PMID: 37865149 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) superfamily comprises multiple families of signaling peptides in both protostomes and deuterostomes. Among this superfamily, vertebrate GnRH stimulates reproduction, but other GnRH superfamily members elicit diverse pleiotropic effects. Within the GnRH superfamily members, adipokinetic hormone (AKH) and its receptor are well described in ecdysozoans but understudied in other lineages. To fill this knowledge gap, we deorphanized a putative receptor for a lophotrochozoan AKH in a gastropod mollusk, Aplysia californica, and named it Aplca-AKHR. Phylogenetic analysis revealed an orthologous relationship of Aplca-AKHR with ecdysozoan AKHRs and other putative lophotrochozoan AKHRs. Aplca-AKHR bound specifically to the previously identified Aplca-AKH with high affinity and activated the inositol phosphate pathway. Aplca-AKHR was expressed widely among central and peripheral tissues, but most prominently in several central ganglia and the heart. The expression of Aplca-AKHR was downregulated by a hyposaline challenge, consistent with a role in volume and fluid regulation previously described for its ligand, Aplca-AKH. In summary, this is the first pairing of a lophotrochozoan AKH with its cognate receptor. Expression data further support diverse central and peripheral roles, including volume and fluid control, of this ligand/receptor pair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-San Tsai
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Kelsey N Sanders
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Xin Dai
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - David Plachetzki
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
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Jiang S, Marco HG, Scheich N, He S, Wang Z, Gäde G, McMahon DP. Comparative analysis of adipokinetic hormones and their receptors in Blattodea reveals novel patterns of gene evolution. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 32:615-633. [PMID: 37382487 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) is a neuropeptide produced in the insect corpora cardiaca that plays an essential role in mobilising carbohydrates and lipids from the fat body to the haemolymph. AKH acts by binding to a rhodopsin-like G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), the adipokinetic hormone receptor (AKHR). In this study, we tackle AKH ligand and receptor gene evolution as well as the evolutionary origins of AKH gene paralogues from the order Blattodea (termites and cockroaches). Phylogenetic analyses of AKH precursor sequences point to an ancient AKH gene duplication event in the common ancestor of Blaberoidea, yielding a new group of putative decapeptides. In total, 16 different AKH peptides from 90 species were obtained. Two octapeptides and seven putatively novel decapeptides are predicted for the first time. AKH receptor sequences from 18 species, spanning solitary cockroaches and subsocial wood roaches as well as lower and higher termites, were subsequently acquired using classical molecular methods and in silico approaches employing transcriptomic data. Aligned AKHR open reading frames revealed 7 highly conserved transmembrane regions, a typical arrangement for GPCRs. Phylogenetic analyses based on AKHR sequences support accepted relationships among termite, subsocial (Cryptocercus spp.) and solitary cockroach lineages to a large extent, while putative post-translational modification sites do not greatly differ between solitary and subsocial roaches and social termites. Our study provides important information not only for AKH and AKHR functional research but also for further analyses interested in their development as potential candidates for biorational pest control agents against invasive termites and cockroaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shixiong Jiang
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department for Materials and Environment, BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin, Germany
| | - Heather G Marco
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Nina Scheich
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department for Materials and Environment, BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin, Germany
| | - Shulin He
- College of Life Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zongqing Wang
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Gerd Gäde
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Dino P McMahon
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department for Materials and Environment, BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin, Germany
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5
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Biological Characteristics and Energy Metabolism of Migrating Insects. Metabolites 2023; 13:metabo13030439. [PMID: 36984878 PMCID: PMC10055822 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13030439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Through long-distance migration, insects not only find suitable breeding locations and increase the survival space and opportunities for the population but also facilitate large-scale material, energy, and information flow between regions, which is important in maintaining the stability of agricultural ecosystems and wider natural ecosystems. In this study, we summarize the changes in biological characteristics such as morphology, ovarian development, reproduction, and flight capability during the seasonal migration of the insect. In consideration of global research work, the interaction between flight and reproduction, the influence and regulation of the insulin-like and juvenile hormone on the flight and reproductive activities of migrating insects, and the types of energy substances, metabolic processes, and hormone regulation processes during insect flight are elaborated. This systematic review of the latest advances in the studies on insect migration biology and energy metabolism will help readers to better understand the biological behavior and regulation mechanism of the energy metabolism of insect migration.
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Shi Y, Li H, Nachman RJ, Liu TX, Smagghe G. Insecticidal efficacy and risk assessment of different neuropeptide analog combinations against the peach-potato aphid following topical exposure. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2023; 79:226-233. [PMID: 36129097 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Insect neuropeptides control essential physiological metabolic activities. In our previous studies, Capability/CAP2b (PK/CAPA) analog 1895 applied alone or as a combination of CAPA analogs (1895 + 2315) was reported to decrease aphid fitness. While this was obtained with the combination of two peptide analogs of the same neuropeptide class, the effect of combining peptide analogs of different neuropeptide classes has not been explored so far. RESULTS In this study, we assessed the effect of combinations of the PK/CAPA analog 1895 with neuropeptide analogs of four different classes [adipokinetic hormone (AKH) analog: 2271; myosuppressin analog: 2434; kinin analog: 2460; tachykinin-related peptide analog: 2463] on the fitness of aphids. We found that the combination of 1895 and AKH analog 2271 was the most effective one to control Myzus persicae. The triple combination 1895 + 2271 + 2315 provided a synergistic effect by further increasing aphid mortality and reducing reproduction relative to 1895 + 2315. Additionally, a biosafety assessment of the combination 1895 + 2271 + 2315 showed no significant lethal nor sub-lethal effects on survival rates and food intake for the pollinator (Bombus terrestris) and the two representative natural enemies (Harmonia axyridis and Nasonia vitripennis). CONCLUSION These results could facilitate establishment of the triple combination 1895 + 2271 + 2315, and/or inclusion of second generation analogs, as alternatives to broad spectrum and less friendly insecticides. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Shi
- College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Hao Li
- College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Ronald J Nachman
- Insect Neuropeptide Laboratory, Insect Control and Cotton Disease Research Unit, Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, US Department of Agriculture, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Tong-Xian Liu
- College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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7
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Afifi S, Wahedi A, Paluzzi JP. Functional insight and cell-specific expression of the adipokinetic hormone/corazonin-related peptide in the human disease vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023; 330:114145. [PMID: 36244431 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2022.114145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The adipokinetic hormone/corazonin-related peptide (ACP) is an insect neuropeptide structurally intermediate between corazonin (CRZ) and adipokinetic hormone (AKH). Unlike the AKH and CRZ signaling systems that are widely known for their roles in the mobilization of energy substrates and stress responses, respectively, the main role of ACP and its receptor (ACPR) remains unclear in most arthropods. The current study aimed to localize the distribution of ACP in the nervous system and provide insight into its physiological roles in the disease vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Immunohistochemical analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization localized the ACP peptide and transcript within a number of cells in the central nervous system, including two pairs of laterally positioned neurons in the protocerebrum of the brain and a few ventrally localized neurons within the pro- and mesothoracic regions of the fused thoracic ganglia. Further, extensive ACP-immunoreactive axonal projections with prominent blebs and varicosities were observed traversing the abdominal ganglia. Given the prominent enrichment of ACPR expression within the abdominal ganglia of adult A. aegypti mosquitoes as determined previously, the current results indicate that ACP may function as a neurotransmitter and/or neuromodulator facilitating communication between the brain and posterior regions of the nervous system. In an effort to elucidate a functional role for ACP signaling, biochemical measurement of energy substrates in female mosquitoes revealed a reduction in abdominal fat body in response to ACP that matched the actions of AKH, but interestingly, a corresponding hypertrehalosaemic effect was only found in response to AKH since ACP did not influence circulating carbohydrate levels. Comparatively, both ACP and AKH led to a significant increase in haemolymph carbohydrate levels in male mosquitoes while both peptides had no influence on their glycogen stores. Neither ACP nor AKH influenced circulating or stored lipid levels in both male and female mosquitoes. Collectively, these results reveal ACP signaling in mosquitoes may have complex sex-specific actions, and future research should aim to expand knowledge on the role of this understudied neuropeptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salwa Afifi
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M3J1P3, Canada
| | - Azizia Wahedi
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M3J1P3, Canada
| | - Jean-Paul Paluzzi
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M3J1P3, Canada.
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Dong X, Chen J, Xu R, Li X, Wang Y, Pan X, Zhang C, Li Y, Wang F, Li C. Molecular identification and lipid mobilization role of adipokinetic hormone receptor in Spodoptera litura (F.). BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2022; 112:758-765. [PMID: 35431022 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485322000141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Energy homeostasis is essential for organisms to maintain fluctuation in energy accumulation, mobilization. Lipids as the main energy reserve in insects, their metabolism is under the control of many physiological program. This study aimed to determine whether the adipokinetic hormone receptor (AKHR) was involved in the lipid mobilization in the Spodoptera litura. A full-length cDNA encoding AKHR was isolated from S. litura. The SlAKHR protein has a conserved seven-transmembrane domain which is the character of a putative G protein receptor. Expression profile investigation revealed that SlAKHR mRNA was highly expressed in immatural stage and abundant in fat body in newly emerged female adults. Knockdown of SlAKHR expression was achieved through RNAi by injecting double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into the 6th instar larvae. The content of triacylgycerol (TAG) in the fat body increased significantly after the SlAKHR gene was knockdown. And decrease of TAG releasing to hemolymph with increase of free fatty acid (FFA) in hemolymph were observed when the SlAKHR gene was knowned-down. In addition, lipid droplets increased in fat body was also found. These results suggested that SlAKHR is critical for insects to regulate lipids metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolin Dong
- Hubei Engineering Research Center for Pest Forewarning and Management, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, Hubei, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ecology and Agricultural Use of Wetland, Ministry of Education, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, Hubei, China
| | - Junyuan Chen
- Hubei Engineering Research Center for Pest Forewarning and Management, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, Hubei, China
| | - Rubing Xu
- Tobacco Research Institute of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430002, Hubei, China
| | - Xihong Li
- Tobacco Research Institute of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430002, Hubei, China
| | - Yang Wang
- Hubei Engineering Research Center for Pest Forewarning and Management, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, Hubei, China
| | - Xue Pan
- Hubei Engineering Research Center for Pest Forewarning and Management, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, Hubei, China
| | - Cuici Zhang
- Hubei Engineering Research Center for Pest Forewarning and Management, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, Hubei, China
| | - Yanyan Li
- Tobacco Research Institute of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430002, Hubei, China
| | - Fulian Wang
- Hubei Engineering Research Center for Pest Forewarning and Management, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, Hubei, China
| | - Chuanren Li
- Hubei Engineering Research Center for Pest Forewarning and Management, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, Hubei, China
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Hauser F, Koch TL, Grimmelikhuijzen CJP. Review: The evolution of peptidergic signaling in Cnidaria and Placozoa, including a comparison with Bilateria. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:973862. [PMID: 36213267 PMCID: PMC9545775 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.973862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bilateria have bilateral symmetry and are subdivided into Deuterostomia (animals like vertebrates) and Protostomia (animals like insects and mollusks). Neuropeptides occur in both Proto- and Deuterostomia and they are frequently structurally related across these two lineages. For example, peptides belonging to the oxytocin/vasopressin family exist in both clades. The same is true for the G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) of these peptides. These observations suggest that these neuropeptides and their GPCRs were already present in the common ancestor of Proto- and Deuterostomia, which lived about 700 million years ago (MYA). Furthermore, neuropeptides and their GPCRs occur in two early-branching phyla that diverged before the emergence of Bilateria: Cnidaria (animals like corals and sea anemones), and Placozoa (small disk-like animals, feeding on algae). The sequences of these neuropeptides and their GPCRs, however, are not closely related to those from Bilateria. In addition, cnidarian neuropeptides and their receptors are not closely related to those from Placozoa. We propose that the divergence times between Cnidaria, Placozoa, and Bilateria might be too long for recognizing sequence identities. Leucine-rich repeats-containing GPCRs (LGRs) are a special class of GPCRs that are characterized by a long N-terminus containing 10-20 leucine-rich domains, which are used for ligand binding. Among the ligands for LGRs are dimeric glycoprotein hormones, and insulin-like peptides, such as relaxin. LGRs have been found not only in Proto- and Deuterostomia, but also in early emerging phyla, such as Cnidaria and Placozoa. Humans have eight LGRs. In our current review, we have revisited the annotations of LGRs from the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis and the placozoan Trichoplax adhaerens. We identified 13 sea anemone LGRs and no less than 46 LGRs from T. adhaerens. All eight human LGRs appear to have orthologues in sea anemones and placozoans. LGRs and their ligands, therefore, have a long evolutionary history, going back to the common ancestor of Cnidaria and Placozoa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Hauser
- Section for Cell and Neurobiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas L. Koch
- Section for Cell and Neurobiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Gäde G, Marco HG. The Adipokinetic Peptides of Hemiptera: Structure, Function, and Evolutionary Trends. FRONTIERS IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 2:891615. [PMID: 38468778 PMCID: PMC10926376 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2022.891615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
The Hemiptera comprise the most species-rich order of the hemimetabolous insects. Members of a number of superfamilies, most notably especially the more basal ones such as white flies, psyllids and aphids, belong to the most destructive agricultural insects known worldwide. At the other end of the phylogenetic tree are hemipterans that are notorious medical pests (e.g. kissing bugs). Most of the hemipteran species are good flyers, and lipid oxidation plays a pivotal role to power the contraction of flight muscles and, in aquatic water bugs, also deliver the ATP for the extensive swimming action of the leg muscles. Mobilization of stored lipids (mostly triacylglycerols in the fat body) to circulating diacylglycerols in the hemolymph is regulated by a set of small neuropeptides, the adipokinetic hormones (AKHs). We searched the literature and publicly available databases of transcriptomes and genomes to present here AKH sequences from 191 hemipteran species. Only few of these peptides were sequenced via Edman degradation or mass spectrometry, and even fewer were characterized with molecular biology methods; thus, the majority of the AKHs we have identified by bioinformatics are merely predicted sequences at this stage. Nonetheless, a total of 42 AKH primary sequences are assigned to Hemiptera. About 50% of these structures occur also in other insect orders, while the remaining 50% are currently unique for Hemiptera. We find 9 novel AKHs not shown to be synthesized before in any insect. Most of the hemipteran AKHs are octapeptides (28) but there is an impressive number of decapeptides (12) compared to other speciose orders such as Diptera and Lepidoptera. We attempt to construct a hypothetical molecular peptide evolution of hemipteran AKHs and find quite a bit of overlapping with current phylogenetic ideas of the Hemiptera. Lastly, we discuss the possibility to use the sequence of the aphid AKH as lead peptide for the research into a peptide mimetic fulfilling criteria of a green insecticide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerd Gäde
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
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11
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In Silico Screening for Pesticide Candidates against the Desert Locust Schistocerca gregaria. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12030387. [PMID: 35330138 PMCID: PMC8953258 DOI: 10.3390/life12030387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) is one of the most important metabolic neuropeptides in insects, with actions similar to glucagon in vertebrates. AKH regulates carbohydrate and fat metabolism by mobilizing trehalose and diacylglycerol into circulation from glycogen and triacylglycerol stores, respectively, in the fat body. The short peptide (8 to 10 amino acids long) exerts its function by binding to a rhodopsin-like G protein-coupled receptor located in the cell membrane of the fat body. The AKH receptor (AKHR) is, thus, a potential target for the development of novel specific (peptide) mimetics to control pest insects, such as locusts, which are feared for their prolific breeding, swarm-forming behavior and voracious appetite. Previously, we proposed a model of the interaction between the three endogenous AKHs of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, and the cognate AKHR (Jackson et al., Peer J. 7, e7514, 2019). In the current study we have performed in silico screening of two databases (NCI Open 2012 library and Zinc20) to identify compounds which may fit the endogenous Schgr-AKH-II binding site on the AKHR of S. gregaria. In all, 354 compounds were found to fit the binding site with glide scores < −8. Using the glide scores and binding energies, 7 docked compounds were selected for molecular dynamic simulation in a phosphatidylcholine membrane. Of these 7 compounds, 4 had binding energies which would allow them to compete with Schgr-AKH-II for the receptor binding site and so are proposed as agonistic ligand candidates. One of the ligands, ZINC000257251537, was tested in a homospecific in vivo biological assay and found to have significant antagonistic activity.
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Ragionieri L, Verdonck R, Verlinden H, Marchal E, Vanden Broeck J, Predel R. Schistocerca neuropeptides - An update. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 136:104326. [PMID: 34767790 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2021.104326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
We compiled a comprehensive list of 67 precursor genes encoding neuropeptides and neuropeptide-like peptides using the Schistocerca gregaria genome and several transcriptome datasets. 11 of these 67 precursor genes have alternative transcripts, bringing the total number of S. gregaria precursors identified in this study to 81. Based on this precursor information, we used different mass spectrometry approaches to identify the putative mature, bioactive peptides processed in the nervous system of S. gregaria. The thereby generated dataset for S. gregaria confirms significant conservation of the entire neuropeptidergic gene set typical of insects and also contains precursors typical of Polyneoptera only. This is in striking contrast to the substantial losses of peptidergic systems in some holometabolous species. The neuropeptidome of S. gregaria, apart from species-specific sequences within the known range of variation, is quite similar to that of Locusta migratoria and even to that of less closely related Polyneoptera. With the S. gregaria peptidomics data presented here, we have thus generated a very useful source of information that could also be relevant for the study of other polyneopteran species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lapo Ragionieri
- University of Cologne, Department of Biology, Institute for Zoology, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany.
| | - Rik Verdonck
- Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Zoological Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Environmental Sciences, Environmental Biology, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Heleen Verlinden
- Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Zoological Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Elisabeth Marchal
- Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Zoological Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jozef Vanden Broeck
- Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Zoological Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Reinhard Predel
- University of Cologne, Department of Biology, Institute for Zoology, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany.
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Adipokinetic hormone (AKH), energy budget and their effect on feeding and gustatory processes of foraging honey bees. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18311. [PMID: 34526585 PMCID: PMC8443544 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97851-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The adipokinetic hormone (AKH) of insects is considered an equivalent of the mammalian hormone glucagon as it induces fast mobilization of carbohydrates and lipids from the fat body upon starvation. Yet, in foraging honey bees, which lack fat body storage for carbohydrates, it was suggested that AKH may have lost its original function. Here we manipulated the energy budget of bee foragers to determine the effect of AKH on appetitive responses. As AKH participates in a cascade leading to acceptance of unpalatable substances in starved Drosophila, we also assessed its effect on foragers presented with sucrose solution spiked with salicin. Starved and partially-fed bees were topically exposed with different doses of AKH to determine if this hormone modifies food ingestion and sucrose responsiveness. We found a significant effect of the energy budget (i.e. starved vs. partially-fed) on the decision to ingest or respond to both pure sucrose solution and sucrose solution spiked with salicin, but no effect of AKH per se. These results are consistent with a loss of function of AKH in honey bee foragers, in accordance with a social life that implies storing energy resources in the hive, in amounts that exceed individual needs.
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Nelson JM, Saunders CJ, Johnson EC. The Intrinsic Nutrient Sensing Adipokinetic Hormone Producing Cells Function in Modulation of Metabolism, Activity, and Stress. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:7515. [PMID: 34299134 PMCID: PMC8307046 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22147515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
All organisms confront the challenges of maintaining metabolic homeostasis in light of both variabilities in nutrient supplies and energetic costs of different physiologies and behaviors. While all cells are nutrient sensitive, only relative few cells within Metazoans are nutrient sensing cells. Nutrient sensing cells organize systemic behavioral and physiological responses to changing metabolic states. One group of cells present in the arthropods, is the adipokinetic hormone producing cells (APCs). APCs possess intrinsic nutrient sensors and receive contextual information regarding metabolic state through other endocrine connections. APCs express receptors for different hormones which modulate APC physiology and the secretion of the adipokinetic hormone (AKH). APCs are functionally similar to alpha cells in the mammalian pancreas and display a similar physiological organization. AKH release results in both hypertrehalosemia and hyperlipidemia through high affinity binding to the AKH receptor (AKHR). Another hallmark of AKH signaling is heightened locomotor activity, which accompanies starvation and is thought to enhance foraging. In this review, we discuss mechanisms of nutrient sensing and modulation of AKH release. Additionally, we compare the organization of AKH/AKHR signaling in different taxa. Lastly, we consider the signals that APCs integrate as well as recent experimental results that have expanded the functional repertoire of AKH signaling, further establishing this as both a metabolic and stress hormone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M. Nelson
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA; (J.M.N.); (C.J.S.)
| | - Cecil J. Saunders
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA; (J.M.N.); (C.J.S.)
| | - Erik C. Johnson
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA; (J.M.N.); (C.J.S.)
- Center of Molecular Signaling, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
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15
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Effects of Starvation on the Levels of Triglycerides, Diacylglycerol, and Activity of Lipase in Male and Female Drosophila Melanogaster. J Lipids 2021; 2021:5583114. [PMID: 33833879 PMCID: PMC8018841 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5583114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
We studied the effects of starvation on changes in neutral lipids in male and female Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) at different ages. When flies were subjected to starvation, the mortality rate was observed to be age- and gender-dependent: male flies died earlier as compared to female flies, and older flies died earlier than younger flies. There was an increase in the number of dead flies and the levels of diacylglycerol (DG) with starvation time. This increase in DG was observed much earlier in male flies as compared to female flies, which correlated with earlier death in male flies during starvation in comparison to female flies. We also analyzed the levels of triglycerides (TG) and lipase activity during starvation of flies. The levels of TG decreased depending upon the duration of starvation in both male and female flies. Interestingly, we observed that like DG, there was also an increase in lipase activity due to starvation, which also correlated with earlier death in male flies as compared to female flies. Our results suggest that increase in DG levels and lipase activity due to starvation may be the main cause of death in the flies.
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Birgul Iyison N, Sinmaz MG, Duan Sahbaz B, Shahraki A, Aksoydan B, Durdagi S. In silico characterization of adipokinetic hormone receptor and screening for pesticide candidates against stick insect, Carausius morosus. J Mol Graph Model 2020; 101:107720. [PMID: 32937277 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2020.107720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) is an insect neuropeptide that plays crucial roles in a variety of physiological functions such as regulation of heartbeat frequency, blood hemolymph trehalose levels, and protein synthesis. It exerts its functions through binding to its cognate G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), named adipokinetic hormone receptor (AKHR). The aim of this study is to characterize AKHR of stick insect, Carausius morosus, which becomes an agricultural and forest pest during its outbreaks, and to screen pesticide candidates that would act through inhibition of AKHR. To this aim, the sequence of the receptor and its ligand were obtained from previously published transcriptome data and homology modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were combined to find the ligand-binding pocket of AKHR. As a result, crucial residues in ligand binding were identified. These residues were located at the 6th and 7th transmembrane (TM) domains and the 2nd extracellular loop (ECL) of AKHR model. In order to propose pesticide candidates, virtual screening was performed, and candidate ligands were obtained. Considering the binding energies and the stability of the interaction between the ligand and the receptor, four hit compounds were selected. In conclusion, this study revealed a possible ligand-binding pocket of AKHR and proposed some high-affinity small-molecules to block its function, which would further facilitate pesticide design studies against the same receptor of various pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Necla Birgul Iyison
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Graduate Studies in Science and Engineering, Bogazici University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Merve Gizem Sinmaz
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Graduate Studies in Science and Engineering, Bogazici University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Burcin Duan Sahbaz
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Graduate Studies in Science and Engineering, Bogazici University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Aida Shahraki
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Graduate Studies in Science and Engineering, Bogazici University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Busecan Aksoydan
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahcesehir University, 34734, Istanbul, Turkey; Neuroscience Program, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Bahcesehir University, 34734, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Serdar Durdagi
- Computational Biology and Molecular Simulations Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahcesehir University, 34734, Istanbul, Turkey; Neuroscience Program, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Bahcesehir University, 34734, Istanbul, Turkey.
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Dufour S, Quérat B, Tostivint H, Pasqualini C, Vaudry H, Rousseau K. Origin and Evolution of the Neuroendocrine Control of Reproduction in Vertebrates, With Special Focus on Genome and Gene Duplications. Physiol Rev 2019; 100:869-943. [PMID: 31625459 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00009.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In humans, as in the other mammals, the neuroendocrine control of reproduction is ensured by the brain-pituitary gonadotropic axis. Multiple internal and environmental cues are integrated via brain neuronal networks, ultimately leading to the modulation of the activity of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons. The decapeptide GnRH is released into the hypothalamic-hypophysial portal blood system and stimulates the production of pituitary glycoprotein hormones, the two gonadotropins luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone. A novel actor, the neuropeptide kisspeptin, acting upstream of GnRH, has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Other neuropeptides, such as gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone/RF-amide related peptide, and other members of the RF-amide peptide superfamily, as well as various nonpeptidic neuromediators such as dopamine and serotonin also provide a large panel of stimulatory or inhibitory regulators. This paper addresses the origin and evolution of the vertebrate gonadotropic axis. Brain-pituitary neuroendocrine axes are typical of vertebrates, the pituitary gland, mediator and amplifier of brain control on peripheral organs, being a vertebrate innovation. The paper reviews, from molecular and functional perspectives, the evolution across vertebrate radiation of some key actors of the vertebrate neuroendocrine control of reproduction and traces back their origin along the vertebrate lineage and in other metazoa before the emergence of vertebrates. A focus is given on how gene duplications, resulting from either local events or from whole genome duplication events, and followed by paralogous gene loss or conservation, might have shaped the evolutionary scenarios of current families of key actors of the gonadotropic axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvie Dufour
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Biology of Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems, CNRS, IRD, Sorbonne Université, Université Caen Normandie, Université des Antilles, Paris, France; Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cite, Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, Paris, France; INSERM U1133, Physiologie de l'axe Gonadotrope, Paris, France; Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Physiologie Moléculaire et Adaptation, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (UMR 9197), Gif-sur-Yvette, France; and Université de Rouen Normandie, Rouen, France
| | - Bruno Quérat
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Biology of Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems, CNRS, IRD, Sorbonne Université, Université Caen Normandie, Université des Antilles, Paris, France; Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cite, Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, Paris, France; INSERM U1133, Physiologie de l'axe Gonadotrope, Paris, France; Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Physiologie Moléculaire et Adaptation, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (UMR 9197), Gif-sur-Yvette, France; and Université de Rouen Normandie, Rouen, France
| | - Hervé Tostivint
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Biology of Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems, CNRS, IRD, Sorbonne Université, Université Caen Normandie, Université des Antilles, Paris, France; Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cite, Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, Paris, France; INSERM U1133, Physiologie de l'axe Gonadotrope, Paris, France; Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Physiologie Moléculaire et Adaptation, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (UMR 9197), Gif-sur-Yvette, France; and Université de Rouen Normandie, Rouen, France
| | - Catherine Pasqualini
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Biology of Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems, CNRS, IRD, Sorbonne Université, Université Caen Normandie, Université des Antilles, Paris, France; Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cite, Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, Paris, France; INSERM U1133, Physiologie de l'axe Gonadotrope, Paris, France; Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Physiologie Moléculaire et Adaptation, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (UMR 9197), Gif-sur-Yvette, France; and Université de Rouen Normandie, Rouen, France
| | - Hubert Vaudry
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Biology of Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems, CNRS, IRD, Sorbonne Université, Université Caen Normandie, Université des Antilles, Paris, France; Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cite, Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, Paris, France; INSERM U1133, Physiologie de l'axe Gonadotrope, Paris, France; Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Physiologie Moléculaire et Adaptation, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (UMR 9197), Gif-sur-Yvette, France; and Université de Rouen Normandie, Rouen, France
| | - Karine Rousseau
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Biology of Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems, CNRS, IRD, Sorbonne Université, Université Caen Normandie, Université des Antilles, Paris, France; Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cite, Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, Paris, France; INSERM U1133, Physiologie de l'axe Gonadotrope, Paris, France; Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Physiologie Moléculaire et Adaptation, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (UMR 9197), Gif-sur-Yvette, France; and Université de Rouen Normandie, Rouen, France
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Jackson GE, Pavadai E, Gäde G, Andersen NH. The adipokinetic hormones and their cognate receptor from the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria: solution structure of endogenous peptides and models of their binding to the receptor. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7514. [PMID: 31531269 PMCID: PMC6718158 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Neuropeptides exert their activity through binding to G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). GPCRs are well-known drug targets in the pharmaceutical industry and are currently discussed as targets to control pest insects. Here, we investigate the neuropeptide adipokinetic hormone (AKH) system of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. The desert locust is known for its high reproduction, and for forming devastating swarms consisting of billions of individual insects. It is also known that S. gregaria produces three different AKHs as ligands but has only one AKH receptor (AKHR). The AKH system is known to be essential for metabolic regulation, which is necessary for reproduction and flight activity. Methods Nuclear magnetic resonance techniques (NMR) in a dodecylphosphocholin (DPC) micelle solution were used to determine the structure of the three AKHs. The primary sequence of the S. gregaria AKHR was used to construct a 3D molecular model. Next, the three AKHs were individually docked to the receptor, and dynamic simulation of the whole ligand–receptor complex in a model membrane was performed. Results Although the three endogenous AKHs of S. gregaria have quite different amino acids sequences and chain length (two octa- and one decapeptide), NMR experiments assigned a turn structure in DPC micelle solution for all. The GPCR-ModSim program identified human kappa opioid receptor to be the best template after which the S. gregaria AKHR was modeled. All three AKHs were found to have the same binding site on this receptor, interact with similar residues of the receptor and have comparable binding constants. Molecular switches were also identified; the movement of the receptor could be visually shown when ligands (AKHs) were docked and the receptor was activated. Conclusions The study proposes a model of binding of the three endogenous ligands to the one existing AKHR in the desert locust and paves the way to use such a model for the design of peptide analogs and finally, peptide mimetics, in the search for novel species-specific insecticides based on receptor–ligand interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham E Jackson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
| | - Elumalai Pavadai
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gerd Gäde
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
| | - Niels H Andersen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Nässel DR, Zandawala M. Recent advances in neuropeptide signaling in Drosophila, from genes to physiology and behavior. Prog Neurobiol 2019; 179:101607. [PMID: 30905728 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
This review focuses on neuropeptides and peptide hormones, the largest and most diverse class of neuroactive substances, known in Drosophila and other animals to play roles in almost all aspects of daily life, as w;1;ell as in developmental processes. We provide an update on novel neuropeptides and receptors identified in the last decade, and highlight progress in analysis of neuropeptide signaling in Drosophila. Especially exciting is the huge amount of work published on novel functions of neuropeptides and peptide hormones in Drosophila, largely due to the rapid developments of powerful genetic methods, imaging techniques and innovative assays. We critically discuss the roles of peptides in olfaction, taste, foraging, feeding, clock function/sleep, aggression, mating/reproduction, learning and other behaviors, as well as in regulation of development, growth, metabolic and water homeostasis, stress responses, fecundity, and lifespan. We furthermore provide novel information on neuropeptide distribution and organization of peptidergic systems, as well as the phylogenetic relations between Drosophila neuropeptides and those of other phyla, including mammals. As will be shown, neuropeptide signaling is phylogenetically ancient, and not only are the structures of the peptides, precursors and receptors conserved over evolution, but also many functions of neuropeptide signaling in physiology and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dick R Nässel
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Meet Zandawala
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
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Lu K, Zhang X, Chen X, Li Y, Li W, Cheng Y, Zhou J, You K, Zhou Q. Adipokinetic Hormone Receptor Mediates Lipid Mobilization to Regulate Starvation Resistance in the Brown Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens. Front Physiol 2018; 9:1730. [PMID: 30555355 PMCID: PMC6281999 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipid storage must be efficiently mobilized to sustain the energy demands during processes of exercise or starvation. In insects, adipokinetic hormone (AKH) and brummer lipase are well-known regulators of lipid mobilization. We recently demonstrated that brummer-dependent lipolysis regulates starvation resistance in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, one of the most destructive rice pests. The present work investigated the roles of the AKH signaling system in lipid mobilization during the starvation process in N. lugens. NlAKHR is a typical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and possesses high structure and sequence similarity to other insect AKHRs. Spatial and developmental expression profiles suggested that NlAKH is released from the corpora cardiaca to activate NlAKHR mainly expressed in the fat body. Starvation significantly induced the expression of NlAKH and NlAKHR, indicating a potential role of the AKH signaling system in starvation resistance. To reveal the functions of the AKH signaling system, a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-mediated knockdown of NlAKHR and NlAKH peptide injection was performed. The results show NlAKHR silencing decreased the levels of 1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG) in the hemolymph and increased triacylglycerol (TAG) levels in the fat body, whereas NlAKH injection led to a critical accumulation of DAG in the hemolymph and a severe reduction of TAG content in the fat body. Knockdown of NlAKHR resulted in prolonged lifespan and high levels of whole-body TAG, indicating an inability to mobilize TAG reserves during starvation. Conversely, the NlAKH injection reduced the survival and accelerated TAG mobilization during starvation, which further confirms the role of NlAKH in lipolysis. Moreover, NlAKHR silencing caused obesity in N. lugens, whereas NlAKH injection depleted organismal TAG reserves in vivo and produced a slim phenotype. These results indicate that lipid mobilization is regulated by the AKH signaling system, which is essential for adjusting body lipid homeostasis and ensuring energy supplement during starvation in N. lugens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xinyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xia Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yue Li
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Wenru Li
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yibei Cheng
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jinming Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Keke You
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Abstract
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) was first discovered in mammals on account of its effect in triggering pituitary release of gonadotropins and the importance of this discovery was recognized forty years ago in the award of the 1977 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Investigation of the evolution of GnRH revealed that GnRH-type signaling systems occur throughout the chordates, including agnathans (e.g. lampreys) and urochordates (e.g. sea squirts). Furthermore, the discovery that adipokinetic hormone (AKH) is the ligand for a GnRH-type receptor in the arthropod Drosophila melanogaster provided evidence of the antiquity of GnRH-type signaling. However, the occurrence of other AKH-like peptides in arthropods, which include corazonin and AKH/corazonin-related peptide (ACP), has complicated efforts to reconstruct the evolutionary history of this family of related neuropeptides. Genome/transcriptome sequencing has revealed that both GnRH-type receptors and corazonin-type receptors occur in lophotrochozoan protostomes (annelids, mollusks) and in deuterostomian invertebrates (cephalochordates, hemichordates, echinoderms). Furthermore, peptides that act as ligands for GnRH-type and corazonin-type receptors have been identified in mollusks. However, what has been lacking is experimental evidence that distinct GnRH-type and corazonin-type peptide-receptor signaling pathways occur in deuterostomes. Importantly, we recently reported the identification of two neuropeptides that act as ligands for either a GnRH-type receptor or a corazonin-type receptor in an echinoderm species - the common European starfish Asterias rubens. Discovery of distinct GnRH-type and corazonin-type signaling pathways in this deuterostomian invertebrate has demonstrated for the first time that the evolutionarily origin of these paralogous systems can be traced to the common ancestor of protostomes and deuterostomes. Furthermore, lineage-specific losses of corazonin signaling (in vertebrates, urochordates and nematodes) and duplication of the GnRH signaling system in arthropods (giving rise to the AKH and ACP signaling systems) and quadruplication of the GnRH signaling system in vertebrates (followed by lineage-specific losses or duplications) accounts for the phylogenetic distribution of GnRH/corazonin-type peptide-receptor pathways in extant animals. Informed by these new insights, here we review the history of research on the evolution of GnRH/corazonin-type neuropeptide signaling. Furthermore, we propose a standardized nomenclature for GnRH/corazonin-type neuropeptides wherein peptides are either named "GnRH" or "corazonin", with the exception of the paralogous GnRH-type peptides that have arisen by gene duplication in the arthropod lineage and which are referred to as "AKH" (or red pigment concentrating hormone, "RCPH", in crustaceans) and "ACP".
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Affiliation(s)
- Meet Zandawala
- Stockholm University, Department of Zoology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Shi Tian
- Queen Mary University of London, School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Maurice R Elphick
- Queen Mary University of London, School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK.
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Tsai PS. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone by any other name would smell as sweet. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 264:58-63. [PMID: 28927877 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Revised: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The goal of this article is to discuss the nomenclature of members of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) superfamily. This superfamily currently consists of 5 families: (1) vertebrate GnRH, (2) adipokinetic hormone, (3) corazonin, (4) adipokinetic hormone/corazonin-related peptide and (5) invertebrate GnRH (or GnRH/corazonin). The naming of some of these peptides, especially members of the invertebrate GnRH family, may not have reflected their true evolutionary origin, leading to some confusion and controversy. Using a few examples from the invertebrate GnRH family, this article proposes several peptide-naming criteria and discusses naming challenges and problem cases. It is recommended that the invertebrate GnRH family be renamed based on the naming criteria of (1) mature peptide structure, (2) prepropeptide phylogeny, and (3) receptor phylogeny. Following this approach, the names of the peptides should reflect their phylogeny, and if possible, delineate a monophyletic group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-San Tsai
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, United States.
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23
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Marchal E, Schellens S, Monjon E, Bruyninckx E, Marco HG, Gäde G, Vanden Broeck J, Verlinden H. Analysis of Peptide Ligand Specificity of Different Insect Adipokinetic Hormone Receptors. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19020542. [PMID: 29439466 PMCID: PMC5855764 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19020542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) is a highly researched insect neuropeptide that induces the mobilization of carbohydrates and lipids from the fat body at times of high physical activity, such as flight and locomotion. As a naturally occurring ligand, AKH has undergone quite a number of amino acid changes throughout evolution, and in some insect species multiple AKHs are present. AKH acts by binding to a rhodopsin-like G protein-coupled receptor, which is related to the vertebrate gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors. In the current study, we have cloned AKH receptors (AKHRs) from seven different species, covering a wide phylogenetic range of insect orders: the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, and the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti (Diptera); the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, and the large pine weevil, Hylobius abietis (Coleoptera); the honeybee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera); the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera); and the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Orthoptera). The agonistic activity of different insect AKHs, including the respective endogenous AKHs, at these receptors was tested with a bioluminescence-based assay in Chinese hamster ovary cells. All receptors were activated by their endogenous ligand in the nanomolar range. Based on our data, we can refute the previously formulated hypothesis that a functional AKH signaling system is absent in the beneficial species, Apis mellifera. Furthermore, our data also suggest that some of the investigated AKH receptors, such as the mosquito AKHR, are more selective for the endogenous (conspecific) ligand, while others, such as the locust AKHR, are more promiscuous and can be activated by AKHs from many other insects. This information will be of high importance when further analyzing the potential use of AKHRs as targets for developing novel pest control agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Marchal
- Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, P.O. Box 02465, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Sam Schellens
- Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, P.O. Box 02465, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Emilie Monjon
- Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, P.O. Box 02465, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Evert Bruyninckx
- Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, P.O. Box 02465, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Heather G Marco
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch ZA-7700, South Africa.
| | - Gerd Gäde
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch ZA-7700, South Africa.
| | - Jozef Vanden Broeck
- Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, P.O. Box 02465, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Heleen Verlinden
- Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, P.O. Box 02465, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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Oryan A, Wahedi A, Paluzzi JPV. Functional characterization and quantitative expression analysis of two GnRH-related peptide receptors in the mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018; 497:550-557. [PMID: 29432729 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.02.088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
To cope with stressful events such as flight, organisms have evolved various regulatory mechanisms, often involving control by endocrine-derived factors. In insects, two stress-related factors include the gonadotropin-releasing hormone-related peptides adipokinetic hormone (AKH) and corazonin (CRZ). AKH is a pleiotropic hormone best known as a substrate liberator of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. Although a universal function has not yet been elucidated, CRZ has been shown to have roles in pigmentation, ecdysis or act as a cardiostimulatory factor. While both these neuropeptides and their respective receptors (AKHR and CRZR) have been characterized in several organisms, details on their specific roles within the disease vector, Aedes aegypti, remain largely unexplored. Here, we obtained three A. aegypti AKHR transcript variants and further identified the A. aegypti CRZR receptor. Receptor expression using a heterologous functional assay revealed that these receptors exhibit a highly specific response for their native ligands. Developmental quantitative expression analysis of CRZR revealed enrichment during the pupal and adult stages. In adults, quantitative spatial expression analysis revealed CRZR transcript in a variety of organs including head, thoracic ganglia, primary reproductive organs (ovary and testis), as well as male carcass. This suggest CRZ may play a role in ecdysis, and neuronal expression of CRZR indicates a possible role for CRZ within the nervous system. Quantitative developmental expression analysis of AKHR identified significant transcript enrichment in early adult stages. AKHR transcript was observed in the head, thoracic ganglia, accessory reproductive tissues and the carcass of adult females, while it was detected in the abdominal ganglia and enriched significantly in the carcass of adult males, which supports the known function of AKH in energy metabolism. Collectively, given the enrichment of CRZR and AKHR in the primary and secondary sex organs, respectively, of adult mosquitoes, these neuropeptides may play a role in regulating mosquito reproductive biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Oryan
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Azizia Wahedi
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Jean-Paul V Paluzzi
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada.
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25
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Elphick MR, Mirabeau O, Larhammar D. Evolution of neuropeptide signalling systems. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:221/3/jeb151092. [PMID: 29440283 PMCID: PMC5818035 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.151092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Neuropeptides are a diverse class of neuronal signalling molecules that regulate physiological processes and behaviour in animals. However, determining the relationships and evolutionary origins of the heterogeneous assemblage of neuropeptides identified in a range of phyla has presented a huge challenge for comparative physiologists. Here, we review revolutionary insights into the evolution of neuropeptide signalling that have been obtained recently through comparative analysis of genome/transcriptome sequence data and by ‘deorphanisation’ of neuropeptide receptors. The evolutionary origins of at least 30 neuropeptide signalling systems have been traced to the common ancestor of protostomes and deuterostomes. Furthermore, two rounds of genome duplication gave rise to an expanded repertoire of neuropeptide signalling systems in the vertebrate lineage, enabling neofunctionalisation and/or subfunctionalisation, but with lineage-specific gene loss and/or additional gene or genome duplications generating complex patterns in the phylogenetic distribution of paralogous neuropeptide signalling systems. We are entering a new era in neuropeptide research where it has become feasible to compare the physiological roles of orthologous and paralogous neuropeptides in a wide range of phyla. Moreover, the ambitious mission to reconstruct the evolution of neuropeptide function in the animal kingdom now represents a tangible challenge for the future. Summary: A review of the revolutionary advances in our knowledge of the evolution of neuropeptide signalling systems that have been enabled by comparative genomics and neuropeptide receptor deorphanisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurice R Elphick
- School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Olivier Mirabeau
- Genetics and Biology of Cancers Unit, Institut Curie, INSERM U830, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Dan Larhammar
- Department of Neuroscience, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Box 593, 75124 Uppsala, Sweden
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26
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Zhou YJ, Fukumura K, Nagata S. Effects of adipokinetic hormone and its related peptide on maintaining hemolymph carbohydrate and lipid levels in the two-spotted cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2018; 82:274-284. [PMID: 29325488 DOI: 10.1080/09168451.2017.1422106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) regulates energy homeostasis in insects by mobilizing lipid and carbohydrate from the fat body. Here, using RNA sequencing data, we identified cDNAs encoding AKH (GbAKH) and its highly homologous hormone AKH/corazonin-related peptide (GbACP) in the corpora cardiaca of the two-spotted cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. RT-PCR revealed that GbAKH and GbACP are predominantly expressed in the corpora cardiaca and corpora allata, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the identified GbAKH and GbACP belong to the clades containing other AKHs and ACPs, respectively. Injection of synthetic GbAKH and GbACP elevated hemolymph carbohydrate and lipid levels and reduced food intake significantly. In contrast, knockdown of GbAKH and GbACP by RNA interference increased the food intake, although hemolymph lipid level was not altered. Collectively, this study provides evidence that ACP regulates hemolymph carbohydrate and lipid levels in cricket, possibly collaborative contribution with AKH to the maintenance of energy homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Jun Zhou
- a Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences , The University of Tokyo , Chiba , Japan
| | - Keisuke Fukumura
- a Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences , The University of Tokyo , Chiba , Japan
| | - Shinji Nagata
- a Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences , The University of Tokyo , Chiba , Japan
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Martillotti AW, Tsai PS. An Adipokinetic Hormone Acts as a Volume Regulator in the Intertidal Gastropod Mollusk, Aplysia californica. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2018; 9:493. [PMID: 30197626 PMCID: PMC6117392 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2018.00493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) is a multifunctional neuropeptide in the gonadotropin-releasing hormone superfamily. In insects, AKH acts to mobilize energy stores during times of high energetic demand, but has been shown to have other effects. In lophotrochozoans, the presence and function of AKH are less characterized. We have previously identified an AKH in an intertidal gastropod mollusk, the California sea hare (Aplysia californica), and named it ac-AKH. Our previous data showed ac-AKH induced an acute weight loss, suggesting a role in volume regulation. The overarching goals of this study were to test the role of ac-AKH as a volume regulator and examine the mechanism by which ac-AKH induced the acute weight loss. Our results showed that ac-AKH reduced body mass, in part, through the reduction of hemolymph volume without altering hemolymph osmolality or specific osmolytes. The effect of ac-AKH on volume loss was accentuated under a hyposaline condition. We further showed that ac-akh expression was inhibited during a hyposaline challenge, and that the administration of ac-AKH partially reversed the increase in body mass, but not hemolymph osmolality change, caused by the hyposaline challenge. These data collectively show that ac-AKH is a proximate regulator controlling the fluid volume, but not osmolality, in A. californica. Importantly, our results highlight the functional divergence of this structurally conserved neuropeptide in the molluscan lineage.
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28
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Hou QL, Chen EH, Jiang HB, Wei DD, Gui SH, Wang JJ, Smagghe G. Adipokinetic hormone receptor gene identification and its role in triacylglycerol mobilization and sexual behavior in the oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis). INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2017; 90:1-13. [PMID: 28919559 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2017.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2017] [Revised: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Energy homeostasis requires continuous compensation for fluctuations in energy expenditure and availability of food resources. In insects, energy mobilization is under control of the adipokinetic hormone (AKH) where it is regulating the nutritional status by supporting the mobilization of lipids. In this study, we characterized the gene coding for the AKH receptor (AKHR) and investigated its function in the oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) that is economically one of the most important pest insects of tropical and subtropical fruit. Bacdo-AKHR is a typical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and phylogenetic analysis confirmed that Bacdo-AKHR is closely related to insect AKHRs from other species. When expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, Bacdo-AKHR exhibited a high sensitivity and selectivity for AKH peptide (EC50 = 19.3 nM). Using qPCR, the developmental stage and tissue-specific expression profiles demonstrated that Bacdo-AKHR was highly expressed in both the larval and adult stages, and also specifically in the fat body and midgut of the adult with no difference in sex. To investigate the role of AKHR in B. dorsalis, RNAi assays were performed with dsRNA against Bacdo-AKHR in adult flies of both sexes and under starvation and feeding condition. As major results, the knockdown of this gene resulted in triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation. With RNAi-males, we observed a severe decrease in their sexual courtship activity when starved, but there was a partial rescue in copulation when refed. Also in RNAi-males, the tethered-flight duration declined compared with the control group when starved, which is confirming the dependency on energy metabolism. In RNAi-females, the sexual behavior was not affected, but their fecundity was decreased. Our findings indicate an interesting role of AKHR in the sexual behavior of males specifically. The effects are associated with TAG accumulation, and we also reported that the conserved role of AKH-mediated system in B. dorsalis is nutritional state-dependent. Hence, we provided further understanding on the multiple functions of AKH/AKHR in B. dorsalis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiu-Li Hou
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China; Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Er-Hu Chen
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China; Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Hong-Bo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China; Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Dan-Dan Wei
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China; Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Shun-Hua Gui
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China; Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Jin-Jun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China; Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China.
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China; Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China; Department of Crop Protection, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
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29
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Tian S, Egertová M, Elphick MR. Functional Characterization of Paralogous Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone-Type and Corazonin-Type Neuropeptides in an Echinoderm. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2017; 8:259. [PMID: 29033898 PMCID: PMC5626854 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2017.00259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Homologs of the vertebrate neuropeptide gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) have been identified in invertebrates, including the insect neuropeptide corazonin (CRZ). Recently, we reported the discovery of GnRH-type and CRZ-type signaling systems in an echinoderm, the starfish Asterias rubens, demonstrating that the evolutionary origin of paralogous GnRH-type and CRZ-type neuropeptides can be traced back to the common ancestor of protostomes and deuterostomes. Here, we have investigated the physiological roles of the GnRH-type (ArGnRH) and the CRZ-type (ArCRZ) neuropeptides in A. rubens, using mRNA in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry and in vitro pharmacology. ArGnRH precursor (ArGnRHP)-expressing cells and ArGnRH-immunoreactive cells and/or processes are present in the radial nerve cords, circumoral nerve ring, digestive system (e.g., cardiac stomach and pyloric stomach), body wall-associated muscle (apical muscle), and appendages (tube feet, terminal tentacle). The general distribution of ArCRZ precursor (ArCRZP)-expressing cells is similar to that of ArGnRHP, but with specific local differences. For example, cells expressing ArGnRHP are present in both the ectoneural and hyponeural regions of the radial nerve cords and circumoral nerve ring, whereas cells expressing ArCRZP were only observed in the ectoneural region. In vitro pharmacological experiments revealed that both ArGnRH and ArCRZ cause contraction of cardiac stomach, apical muscle, and tube foot preparations. However, ArGnRH was more potent/effective than ArCRZ as a contractant of the cardiac stomach, whereas ArCRZ was more potent/effective than ArGnRH as a contractant of the apical muscle. These findings demonstrate that both ArGnRH and ArCRZ are myoexcitatory neuropeptides in starfish, but differences in their expression patterns and pharmacological activities are indicative of distinct physiological roles. This is the first study to investigate the physiological roles of both GnRH-type and CRZ-type neuropeptides in a deuterostome, providing new insights into the evolution and comparative physiology of these paralogous neuropeptide signaling systems in the Bilateria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi Tian
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michaela Egertová
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Maurice R. Elphick
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Maurice R. Elphick,
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30
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Li S, Hauser F, Skadborg SK, Nielsen SV, Kirketerp-Møller N, Grimmelikhuijzen CJP. Adipokinetic hormones and their G protein-coupled receptors emerged in Lophotrochozoa. Sci Rep 2016; 6:32789. [PMID: 27628442 PMCID: PMC5024129 DOI: 10.1038/srep32789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2015] [Accepted: 08/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Most multicellular animals belong to two evolutionary lineages, the Proto– and Deuterostomia, which diverged 640–760 million years (MYR) ago. Neuropeptide signaling is abundant in animals belonging to both lineages, but it is often unclear whether there exist evolutionary relationships between the neuropeptide systems used by proto- or deuterostomes. An exception, however, are members of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor superfamily, which occur in both evolutionary lineages, where GnRHs are the ligands in Deuterostomia and GnRH-like peptides, adipokinetic hormone (AKH), corazonin, and AKH/corazonin-related peptide (ACP) are the ligands in Protostomia. AKH is a well-studied insect neuropeptide that mobilizes lipids and carbohydrates from the insect fat body during flight. In our present paper, we show that AKH is not only widespread in insects, but also in other Ecdysozoa and in Lophotrochozoa. Furthermore, we have cloned and deorphanized two G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) from the oyster Crassostrea gigas (Mollusca) that are activated by low nanomolar concentrations of oyster AKH (pQVSFSTNWGSamide). Our discovery of functional AKH receptors in molluscs is especially significant, because it traces the emergence of AKH signaling back to about 550 MYR ago and brings us closer to a more complete understanding of the evolutionary origins of the GnRH receptor superfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shizhong Li
- Center for Functional and Comparative Insect Genomics, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Frank Hauser
- Center for Functional and Comparative Insect Genomics, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Signe K Skadborg
- Center for Functional and Comparative Insect Genomics, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Stine V Nielsen
- Center for Functional and Comparative Insect Genomics, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nikolaj Kirketerp-Møller
- Center for Functional and Comparative Insect Genomics, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Cornelis J P Grimmelikhuijzen
- Center for Functional and Comparative Insect Genomics, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
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31
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Bil M, Timmermans I, Verlinden H, Huybrechts R. Characterization of the adipokinetic hormone receptor of the anautogenous flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 89:52-59. [PMID: 27063262 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2016.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2016] [Revised: 03/31/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) is an insect neuropeptide mainly involved in fat body energy mobilization. In flies (Phormia regina, Sarcophaga crassipalpis), bugs (Pyrrhocoris apterus) and cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) AKH was also demonstrated to be involved in the regulation of digestion. This makes AKH an important peptide for anautogenous female flies that need to feed on a supplementary protein meal to initiate vitellogenesis, the large scale synthesis of yolk proteins and their uptake by the developing oocytes. Flesh fly AKH, originally identified as Phormia terraenovae hypertrehalosemic hormone (PhoteHrTH), functions through activation of the AKH receptor (AKHR). This is a G protein-coupled receptor that is the orthologue of the human gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor. Pharmacological characterization indicated that the receptor can be activated by two related dipteran AKH ligands with an EC50 value in the low nanomolar range, whereas micromolar concentrations of the Tribolium castaneum AKH were needed. Consistent with the energy mobilizing function of AKH, the receptor transcript levels were most abundant in the fat body tissue. Nonetheless, Sarcophaga crassipalpis AKHR transcript levels were also high in the brain, the foregut and the hindgut. Interestingly, the receptor transcript numbers were reduced in almost all measured tissues after protein feeding. These changes may enforce the use of ingested energy carrying molecules prior to stored energy mobilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Bil
- Research Group of Insect Physiology and Molecular Ethology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, B-3000, Belgium
| | - Iris Timmermans
- Research Group of Insect Physiology and Molecular Ethology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, B-3000, Belgium
| | - Heleen Verlinden
- Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, B-3000, Belgium
| | - Roger Huybrechts
- Research Group of Insect Physiology and Molecular Ethology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, B-3000, Belgium.
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Konuma T, Tsukamoto Y, Nagasawa H, Nagata S. Imbalanced Hemolymph Lipid Levels Affect Feeding Motivation in the Two-Spotted Cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0154841. [PMID: 27144650 PMCID: PMC4856397 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2013] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect feeding behavior is regulated by many intrinsic factors, including hemolymph nutrient levels. Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) is a peptide factor that modulates hemolymph nutrient levels and regulates the nutritional state of insects by triggering the transfer of lipids into the hemolymph. We recently demonstrated that RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of the AKH receptor (AKHR) reduces hemolymph lipid levels, causing an increase in the feeding frequency of the two-spotted cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. This result indicated that reduced hemolymph lipid levels might motivate crickets to feed. In the present study, to elucidate whether hemolymph lipid levels contribute to insect feeding behavior, we attempted to manipulate hemolymph lipid levels via the lipophorin (Lp)-mediated lipid transferring system in G. bimaculatus. Of the constituent proteins in Lp, we focused on apolipophorin-III (GrybiApoLp-III) because of its possible role in facilitating lipid mobilization. First, we used RNAi to reduce the expression of GrybiApoLp-III. RNAi-mediated knockdown of GrybiApoLp-III had little effect on basal hemolymph lipid levels and the amount of food intake. In addition, hemolymph lipid levels remained static even after injecting AKH into GrybiApoLp-IIIRNAi crickets. These observations indicated that ApoLp-III does not maintain basal hemolymph lipid levels in crickets fed ad libitum, but is necessary for mobilizing lipid transfer into the hemolymph following AKH stimulation. Second, Lp (containing lipids) was injected into the hemolymph to induce a temporary increase in hemolymph lipid levels. Consequently, the initiation of feeding was delayed in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that increased hemolymph lipid levels reduced the motivation to feed. Taken together, these data validate the importance of basal hemolymph lipid levels in the control of energy homeostasis and for regulating feeding behavior in crickets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Konuma
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yusuke Tsukamoto
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
| | - Hiromichi Nagasawa
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shinji Nagata
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
- * E-mail:
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Kumar D, Mains RE, Eipper BA. 60 YEARS OF POMC: From POMC and α-MSH to PAM, molecular oxygen, copper, and vitamin C. J Mol Endocrinol 2016; 56:T63-76. [PMID: 26667899 PMCID: PMC4899100 DOI: 10.1530/jme-15-0266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
A critical role for peptide C-terminal amidation was apparent when the first bioactive peptides were identified. The conversion of POMC into adrenocorticotropic hormone and then into α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, an amidated peptide, provided a model system for identifying the amidating enzyme. Peptidylglycine α-amidating monooxygenase (PAM), the only enzyme that catalyzes this modification, is essential; mice lacking PAM survive only until mid-gestation. Purification and cloning led to the discovery that the amidation of peptidylglycine substrates proceeds in two steps: peptidylglycine α-hydroxylating monooxygenase catalyzes the copper- and ascorbate-dependent α-hydroxylation of the peptidylglycine substrate; peptidyl-α-hydroxyglycine α-amidating lyase cleaves the N-C bond, producing amidated product and glyoxylate. Both enzymes are contained in the luminal domain of PAM, a type 1 integral membrane protein. The structures of both catalytic cores have been determined, revealing how they interact with metals, molecular oxygen, and substrate to catalyze both reactions. Although not essential for activity, the intrinsically disordered cytosolic domain is essential for PAM trafficking. A phylogenetic survey led to the identification of bifunctional membrane PAM in Chlamydomonas, a unicellular eukaryote. Accumulating evidence points to a role for PAM in copper homeostasis and in retrograde signaling from the lumen of the secretory pathway to the nucleus. The discovery of PAM in cilia, cellular antennae that sense and respond to environmental stimuli, suggests that much remains to be learned about this ancient protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhivya Kumar
- Departments of Molecular Biology and BiophysicsUniversity of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Richard E Mains
- Department of NeuroscienceUniversity of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Betty A Eipper
- Departments of Molecular Biology and BiophysicsUniversity of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA Department of NeuroscienceUniversity of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
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Gäde G, Šimek P, Marco HG. A novel adipokinetic peptide from the corpus cardiacum of the primitive caeliferan pygmy grasshopper Tetrix subulata (Caelifera, Tetrigidae). Peptides 2015; 68:43-9. [PMID: 25661310 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2015.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2014] [Revised: 01/28/2015] [Accepted: 01/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The basal caeliferan family Tetrigidae is investigated to identify neuropeptides belonging to the adipokinetic hormone (AKH) family. The pygmy grasshopper Tetrix subulata contains in its corpus cardiacum two octapeptides as revealed by liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The less abundant peptide is the well-known Schgr-AKH-II (pELNFSTGW amide) which is suggested to be the ancestral AKH of Caelifera and Ensifera. The second peptide, Tetsu-AKH (pEFNFTPGW amide), is novel and quite unusual with its third aromatic residue at position 2. It is thought to be autapomorphic for Caelifera. Tetsu-AKH has hyperlipemic activity in T. subulata and in Schistocerca gregaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerd Gäde
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch ZA-7700, South Africa.
| | - Petr Šimek
- Biology Centre, The Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Heather G Marco
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch ZA-7700, South Africa
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Cys-loop ligand-gated ion channel gene discovery in the Locusta migratoria manilensis through the neuron transcriptome. Gene 2015; 561:276-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2015.02.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2014] [Revised: 01/26/2015] [Accepted: 02/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Zandawala M, Hamoudi Z, Lange AB, Orchard I. Adipokinetic hormone signalling system in the Chagas disease vector, Rhodnius prolixus. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2015; 24:264-276. [PMID: 25545120 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Neuropeptides and their G protein-coupled receptors are widespread throughout Metazoa and in several cases, clear orthologues can be identified in both protostomes and deuterostomes. One such neuropeptide is the insect adipokinetic hormone (AKH), which is related to the mammalian gonadotropin-releasing hormone. AKH has been studied extensively and is known to mobilize lipid, carbohydrates and proline for energy-consuming activities such as flight. In order to determine the possible roles for this signalling system in Rhodnius prolixus, we isolated the cDNA sequences encoding R. prolixus AKH (Rhopr-AKH) and its receptor (Rhopr-AKHR). We also examined their spatial expression pattern using quantitative PCR. Our expression analysis indicates that Rhopr-AKH is only expressed in the corpus cardiacum of fifth-instars and adults. Rhopr-AKHR, by contrast, is expressed in several peripheral tissues including the fat body. The expression of the receptor in the fat body suggests that AKH is involved in lipid mobilization, which was confirmed by knockdown of Rhopr-AKHR via RNA interference. Adult males that had been injected with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) for Rhopr-AKHR exhibited increased lipid content in the fat body and decreased lipid levels in the haemolymph. Moreover, injection of Rhopr-AKH in Rhopr-AKHR dsRNA-treated males failed to elevate haemolymph lipid levels, confirming that this is indeed the receptor for Rhopr-AKH.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Zandawala
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada
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Hauser F, Grimmelikhuijzen CJP. Evolution of the AKH/corazonin/ACP/GnRH receptor superfamily and their ligands in the Protostomia. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 209:35-49. [PMID: 25058364 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Revised: 07/07/2014] [Accepted: 07/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In this review we trace the evolutionary connections between GnRH receptors from vertebrates and the receptors for adipokinetic hormone (AKH), AKH/corazonin-related peptide (ACP), and corazonin from arthropods. We conclude that these G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are closely related and have a common evolutionary origin, which dates back to the split of Proto- and Deuterostomia, about 700 million years ago. We propose that in the protostomian lineage, the ancestral GnRH-like receptor gene duplicated as did its GnRH-like ligand gene, followed by diversification, leading to (i) a corazonin receptor gene and a corazonin-like ligand gene, and (ii) an AKH receptor gene and an AKH-like ligand gene in the Mollusca and Annelida. Subsequently, the AKH receptor and ligand genes duplicated once more, yielding the situation that we know from arthropods today, where three independent hormonal systems exist, signalling with AKH, ACP, and corazonin. Our model for the evolution of GnRH signaling in the Protostomia is a striking example of receptor-ligand co-evolution. This model has been developed using several bioinformatics tools (TBLASTN searches, phylogenetic tree analyses), which also helped us to annotate six novel AKH preprohormones and their corresponding AKH sequences from the following molluscs: the sea hare Aplysia californica (AKH sequence: pQIHFSPDWGTamide), the sea slug Tritonia diomedea (pQIHFSPGWEPamide), the fresh water snail Bithynia siamensis goniomphalos (pQIHFTPGWGSamide), the owl limpet Lottia gigantea (pQIHFSPTWGSamide), the oyster Crassostrea gigas (pQVSFSTNWGSamide), and the freshwater pearl mussel Hyriopsis cumingii (pQISFSTNWGSamide). We also found AKHs in the tardigrade Hysibius dujardini (pQLSFTGWGHamide), the rotifer Brachionus calycifloros (pQLTFSSDWSGamide), and the penis worm Priapulus caudatus (pQIFFSKGWRGamide). This is the first report, showing that AKH signaling is widespread in molluscs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Hauser
- Center for Functional and Comparative Insect Genomics, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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Veenstra JA. The contribution of the genomes of a termite and a locust to our understanding of insect neuropeptides and neurohormones. Front Physiol 2014; 5:454. [PMID: 25477824 PMCID: PMC4237046 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2014] [Accepted: 11/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The genomes of the migratory locust Locusta migratoria and the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis were mined for the presence of genes encoding neuropeptides, neurohormones, and their G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Both species have retained a larger number of neuropeptide and neuropeptide GPCRs than the better known holometabolous insect species, while other genes that in holometabolous species appear to have a single transcript produce two different precursors in the locust, the termite or both. Thus, the recently discovered CNMa neuropeptide gene has two transcripts predicted to produce two structurally different CNMa peptides in the termite, while the locust produces two different myosuppressin peptides in the same fashion. Both these species also have a calcitonin gene, which is different from the gene encoding the calcitonin-like insect diuretic hormone. This gene produces two types of calcitonins, calcitonins A and B. It is also present in Lepidoptera and Coleoptera and some Diptera, but absent from mosquitoes and Drosophila. However, in holometabolous insect species, only the B transcript is produced. Their putative receptors were also identified. In contrast, Locusta has a highly unusual gene that codes for a salivation stimulatory peptide. The Locusta genes for neuroparsin and vasopressin are particularly interesting. The neuroparsin gene produces five different transcripts, of which only one codes for the neurohormone identified from the corpora cardiaca. The other four transcripts code for neuroparsin-like proteins, which lack four amino acid residues, and that for that reason we called neoneuroparsins. The number of transcripts for the neoneuroparsins is about 200 times larger than the number of neuroparsin transcripts. The first exon and the putative promoter of the vasopressin genes, of which there are about seven copies in the genome, is very well-conserved, but the remainder of these genes is not. The relevance of these findings is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan A Veenstra
- INCIA UMR 5287 CNRS, Université de Bordeaux Pessac, France
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Baumbach J, Xu Y, Hehlert P, Kühnlein RP. Gαq, Gγ1 and Plc21C control Drosophila body fat storage. J Genet Genomics 2014; 41:283-92. [PMID: 24894355 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2014.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2013] [Revised: 02/26/2014] [Accepted: 03/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Adaptive mobilization of body fat is essential for energy homeostasis in animals. In insects, the adipokinetic hormone (Akh) systemically controls body fat mobilization. Biochemical evidence supports that Akh signals via a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) called Akh receptor (AkhR) using cyclic-AMP (cAMP) and Ca(2+) second messengers to induce storage lipid release from fat body cells. Recently, we provided genetic evidence that the intracellular calcium (iCa(2+)) level in fat storage cells controls adiposity in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. However, little is known about the genes, which mediate Akh signalling downstream of the AkhR to regulate changes in iCa(2+). Here, we used thermogenetics to provide in vivo evidence that the GPCR signal transducers G protein α q subunit (Gαq), G protein γ1 (Gγ1) and Phospholipase C at 21C (Plc21C) control cellular and organismal fat storage in Drosophila. Transgenic modulation of Gαq, Gγ1 and Plc21C affected the iCa(2+) of fat body cells and the expression profile of the lipid metabolism effector genes midway and brummer, which results in severely obese or lean flies. Moreover, functional impairment of Gαq, Gγ1 and Plc21C antagonised Akh-induced fat depletion. This study characterizes Gαq, Gγ1 and Plc21C as anti-obesity genes and supports the model that Akh employs the Gαq/Gγ1/Plc21C module of iCa(2+) control to regulate lipid mobilization in adult Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Baumbach
- Abteilung Molekulare Entwicklungsbiologie, Forschungsgruppe Molekulare Physiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Yanjun Xu
- Abteilung Molekulare Entwicklungsbiologie, Forschungsgruppe Molekulare Physiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Philip Hehlert
- Abteilung Molekulare Entwicklungsbiologie, Forschungsgruppe Molekulare Physiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Ronald P Kühnlein
- Abteilung Molekulare Entwicklungsbiologie, Forschungsgruppe Molekulare Physiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen 37077, Germany.
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Peptidomic Analysis of the Brain and Corpora Cardiaca-Corpora Allata Complex in the Bombyx mori. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PEPTIDES 2012; 2012:640359. [PMID: 23316247 PMCID: PMC3534322 DOI: 10.1155/2012/640359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2012] [Revised: 10/24/2012] [Accepted: 10/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is an important economic insect for silk production. However, many of the mature peptides relevant to its various life stages remain unknown. Using RP-HPLC, MALDI-TOF MS, and previously identified peptides from B. mori and other insects in the transcriptome database, we created peptide profiles showing a total of 6 ion masses that could be assigned to peptides in eggs, including one previously unidentified peptide. A further 49 peptides were assigned to larval brains. 17 new mature peptides were identified in isolated masses. 39 peptides were found in pupal brains with 8 unidentified peptides. 48 were found in adult brains with 12 unidentified peptides. These new unidentified peptides showed highly significant matches in all MS analysis. These matches were then searched against the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database to provide new annotations for these mature peptides. In total, 59 mature peptides in 19 categories were found in the brains of silkworms at the larval, pupal, and adult stages. These results demonstrate that peptidomic variation across different developmental stages can be dramatic. Moreover, the corpora cardiaca-corpora allata (CC-CA) complex was examined during the fifth larval instar. A total of 41 ion masses were assigned to peptides.
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41
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Konuma T, Morooka N, Nagasawa H, Nagata S. Knockdown of the adipokinetic hormone receptor increases feeding frequency in the two-spotted cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. Endocrinology 2012; 153:3111-22. [PMID: 22619358 DOI: 10.1210/en.2011-1533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) is a peptide hormone that regulates the nutritional state in insects by supporting the mobilization of lipids. In the present study, we manipulated AKH signaling to evaluate how metabolic state regulates feeding in an orthopteran insect, the two-spotted cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. This was accomplished by RNA interference (RNAi) targeting the receptor gene for AKH [G. bimaculatus AKHR (GrybiAKHR)]. We found that the knockdown of GrybiAKHR by AKHR-double-stranded RNA treatment decreased the levels of 1,2-diacylglycerol and trehalose in the hemolymph, whereas it increased the level of triacylglycerol in the fat body. In addition, the knockdown of GrybiAKHR enhanced starvation resistance and increased food intake. Furthermore, direct observation of GrybiAKHR(RNAi) crickets revealed that the knockdown of GrybiAKHR increased feeding frequency but did not alter meal duration, whereas locomotor activity decreased. The increased frequency of feeding by GrybiAKHR(RNAi) crickets eventually resulted in an increase of food intake. These data demonstrate that the regulation of the metabolic state by AKH signaling affects feeding frequency, probably through nutritional control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Konuma
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
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Treen N, Itoh N, Miura H, Kikuchi I, Ueda T, Takahashi KG, Ubuka T, Yamamoto K, Sharp PJ, Tsutsui K, Osada M. Mollusc gonadotropin-releasing hormone directly regulates gonadal functions: a primitive endocrine system controlling reproduction. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2012; 176:167-72. [PMID: 22326349 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2011] [Revised: 01/10/2012] [Accepted: 01/12/2012] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is central to the control of vertebrate reproductive cycles and since GnRH orthologs are also present in invertebrates, it is likely that the common ancestor of bilateral animals possessed a GnRH-like peptide. In order to understand the evolutionary and comparative biology of GnRH peptides we cloned the cDNA transcripts of prepro GnRH-like peptides from two species of bivalve molluscs, the Yesso scallop Patinopecten yessoensis and the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. We compared their deduced uncleaved and mature amino acid sequences with those from other invertebrates and vertebrates, and determined their sites of expression and biological activity. The two molluscan GnRH sequences increased the number of known protostome GnRHs to six different forms, indicating the current classification of protostome GnRHs requires further revision. In both molluscs, RT-PCR analysis showed that the genes were highly expressed in nervous tissue with lower levels present in peripheral tissues including the gonads, while immunocytochemistry, using anti-octopus GnRH-like peptide, demonstrated the presence of GnRH-like peptide in neural tissue. Putative scallop GnRH-like peptide stimulated spermatogonial cell division in cultured scallop testis, but the scallop GnRH-like peptide did not stimulate LH release from cultured quail pituitary cells. This is the first report of the cloning of bivalve GnRH-like peptide genes and of molluscan GnRH-like peptides that are biologically active in molluscs, but not in a vertebrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Treen
- Laboratory of Aquacultural Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 1-1 Amamiya-Machi, Tsutsumidori, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, Miyagi 981 8555, Japan
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Malik A, Gäde G, Lange AB. Sequencing and biological effects of an adipokinetic/hypertrehalosemic peptide in the stick insect, Baculum extradentatum. Peptides 2012; 34:51-6. [PMID: 21864604 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2011.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2011] [Revised: 08/04/2011] [Accepted: 08/04/2011] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The corpora cardiaca of the Vietnamese stick insect, Baculum extradentatum, contain a member of the adipokinetic hormone/red pigment-concentrating hormone/hypertrehalosemic hormone (AKH/RPCH/HrTH) family of peptides whose sequence is identical to that originally described for the Indian stick insect, Carausius morosus. This decapeptide, Carmo-HrTH-II (pELTFTPNWGTa), has both hypertrehalosemic and cardioacceleratory activity in B. extradentatum, and hyperlipaemic activity in locusts. Reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) of corpora cardiaca extract followed by MALDI-TOF MS/MS also revealed a novel modification of a second peptide in B. extradentatum: the tryptophan residue at position 8 is post-translationally modified to kynurenine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha Malik
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada
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Shi Y, Huang H, Deng X, He X, Yang J, Yang H, Shi L, Mei L, Gao J, Zhou N. Identification and functional characterization of two orphan G-protein-coupled receptors for adipokinetic hormones from silkworm Bombyx mori. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:42390-42402. [PMID: 22009754 PMCID: PMC3234951 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.275602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2011] [Revised: 09/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Adipokinetic hormones (AKHs) are the best studied insect neuropeptides with the function of mobilizing lipids and carbohydrates during energy-expensive activities and modulating fundamental physiological processes, such as sugar homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and reproduction. Three distinct cDNAs encoding the prepro-Bombyx AKH1-3 have been cloned and confirmed by mass spectrometric methods. Our previous research suggested the Bombyx AKH receptor is activated by AKH1 and AKH2 with high affinity but by AKH3 with quite low affinity. In this study, using stable functional expression of the receptors in HEK293 cells, we have now identified AKH3 as a specific ligand for two orphan G-protein-coupled receptors, and we therefore named them AKHR2a and AKHR2b, respectively. We demonstrated that both AKHR2a and AKHR2b were activated by AKH3 at high affinity and by AKH1 and AKH2 at low affinity, leading to an increase of intracellular cAMP levels and activation of ERK1/2 and receptor internalization, but they were not activated by Bombyx corazonin. Conversely, the Bombyx corazonin receptor was activated by corazonin but not by AKH1-3. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed that AKHR2a and AKHR2b were both highly expressed in the testis but were also detected at low levels in other tissues. These results will lead to a better understanding of the AKH/AKHR system in the regulation of fundamental physiological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Shi
- Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058
| | - Haishan Huang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Model Organisms, School of Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035
| | - Xiaoyan Deng
- Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058
| | - Xiaobai He
- Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058
| | - Jingwen Yang
- College of Animal Sciences, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China
| | - Huipeng Yang
- Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058
| | - Liangen Shi
- College of Animal Sciences, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China
| | - Lijuan Mei
- Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Model Organisms, School of Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035
| | - Jimin Gao
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Model Organisms, School of Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035.
| | - Naiming Zhou
- Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058.
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Badisco L, Huybrechts J, Simonet G, Verlinden H, Marchal E, Huybrechts R, Schoofs L, De Loof A, Vanden Broeck J. Transcriptome analysis of the desert locust central nervous system: production and annotation of a Schistocerca gregaria EST database. PLoS One 2011; 6:e17274. [PMID: 21445293 PMCID: PMC3061863 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2010] [Accepted: 01/28/2011] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) displays a fascinating type of phenotypic plasticity, designated as 'phase polyphenism'. Depending on environmental conditions, one genome can be translated into two highly divergent phenotypes, termed the solitarious and gregarious (swarming) phase. Although many of the underlying molecular events remain elusive, the central nervous system (CNS) is expected to play a crucial role in the phase transition process. Locusts have also proven to be interesting model organisms in a physiological and neurobiological research context. However, molecular studies in locusts are hampered by the fact that genome/transcriptome sequence information available for this branch of insects is still limited. METHODOLOGY We have generated 34,672 raw expressed sequence tags (EST) from the CNS of desert locusts in both phases. These ESTs were assembled in 12,709 unique transcript sequences and nearly 4,000 sequences were functionally annotated. Moreover, the obtained S. gregaria EST information is highly complementary to the existing orthopteran transcriptomic data. Since many novel transcripts encode neuronal signaling and signal transduction components, this paper includes an overview of these sequences. Furthermore, several transcripts being differentially represented in solitarious and gregarious locusts were retrieved from this EST database. The findings highlight the involvement of the CNS in the phase transition process and indicate that this novel annotated database may also add to the emerging knowledge of concomitant neuronal signaling and neuroplasticity events. CONCLUSIONS In summary, we met the need for novel sequence data from desert locust CNS. To our knowledge, we hereby also present the first insect EST database that is derived from the complete CNS. The obtained S. gregaria EST data constitute an important new source of information that will be instrumental in further unraveling the molecular principles of phase polyphenism, in further establishing locusts as valuable research model organisms and in molecular evolutionary and comparative entomology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liesbeth Badisco
- Department of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jurgen Huybrechts
- Department of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gert Simonet
- Department of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Heleen Verlinden
- Department of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Elisabeth Marchal
- Department of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Roger Huybrechts
- Department of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Liliane Schoofs
- Department of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Arnold De Loof
- Department of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jozef Vanden Broeck
- Department of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Coast GM, Schooley DA. Toward a consensus nomenclature for insect neuropeptides and peptide hormones. Peptides 2011; 32:620-31. [PMID: 21093513 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2010.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2010] [Revised: 11/09/2010] [Accepted: 11/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The nomenclature currently in use for insect neuropeptide and peptide hormone families is reviewed and suggestions are made as to how it can be rationalized. Based upon this review, a number of conventions are advanced as a guide to a more rationale nomenclature. The scheme that is put forward builds upon the binomial nomenclature scheme proposed by Raina and Gäde in 1988, when just over 20 insect neuropeptides had been identified. Known neuropeptides and peptide hormones are assigned to 32 structurally distinct families, frequently with overlapping functions. The names given to these families are those that are currently in use, and describe a biological function, homology to known invertebrate/vertebrate peptides, or a conserved structural motif. Interspecific isoforms are identified using a five-letter code to indicate genus and species names, and intraspecific isoforms are identified by Roman or Arabic numerals, with the latter used to signify the order in which sequences are encoded on a prepropeptide. The proposed scheme is sufficiently flexible to allow the incorporation of novel peptides, and could be extended to other arthropods and non-arthropod invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey M Coast
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Birkbeck (University of London), Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK.
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Huang H, He X, Deng X, Li G, Ying G, Sun Y, Shi L, Benovic JL, Zhou N. Bombyx adipokinetic hormone receptor activates extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 via G protein-dependent PKA and PKC but β-arrestin-independent pathways. Biochemistry 2010; 49:10862-72. [PMID: 21126059 DOI: 10.1021/bi1014425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Neuropeptides of the adipokinetic hormone (AKH) family are among the best studied hormone peptides. They play important roles in insect hemolymph sugar homeostasis, larval lipolysis, and storage-fat mobilization. Mechanistic investigations have shown that, upon AKH stimulation, adipokinetic hormone receptor (AKHR) couples to a Gs protein and enhances adenylate cyclase activity, leading to intracellular cAMP accumulation. However, the underlying molecular mechanism by which this signaling pathway connects to extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) remains to be elucidated. Using HEK293 cells stably or transiently expressing AKHR, we demonstrated that activation of AKHR elicited transient phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Our investigation indicated that AKHR-mediated activation of ERK1/2 was significantly inhibited by H-89 (protein kinase A inhibitor), Go6983, and GF109203X (protein kinase C inhibitors) but not by U73122 (PLC inhibitor) or FIPI (PLD inhibitor). Moreover, AKHR-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation was blocked by the calcium chelators EGTA and BAPTA-AM. Furthermore, ERK1/2 activation in both transiently and stably AKHR-expressing HEK293 cells was found to be sensitive to pretreatment of pertussis toxin, whereas AKHR-mediated ERK1/2 activation was insensitive to siRNA-induced knockdown of β-arrestins and to pretreatment of inhibitors of EGFR, Src, and PI3K. On the basis of our data, we propose that activated AKHR signals to ERK1/2 primarily via PKA- and calcium-involved PKC-dependent pathways. Our current study provides the first in-depth study defining the mechanisms of AKH-mediated ERK activation through the Bombyx AKHR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haishan Huang
- Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
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48
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Van der Horst DJ, Rodenburg KW. Locust flight activity as a model for hormonal regulation of lipid mobilization and transport. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2010; 56:844-853. [PMID: 20206629 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2010.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2010] [Revised: 02/10/2010] [Accepted: 02/10/2010] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Flight activity of insects provides a fascinating yet relatively simple model system for studying the regulation of processes involved in energy metabolism. This is particularly highlighted during long-distance flight, for which the locust constitutes a long-standing favored model insect, which as one of the most infamous agricultural pests additionally has considerable economical importance. Remarkably many aspects and processes pivotal to our understanding of (neuro)hormonal regulation of lipid mobilization and transport during insect flight activity have been discovered in the locust; among which are the peptide adipokinetic hormones (AKHs), synthesized and stored by the neurosecretory cells of the corpus cardiacum, that regulate and integrate lipid (diacylglycerol) mobilization and transport, the functioning of the reversible conversions of lipoproteins (lipophorins) in the hemolymph during flight activity, revealing novel concepts for the transport of lipids in the circulatory system, and the structure and functioning of the exchangeable apolipopotein, apolipophorin III, which exhibits a dual capacity to exist in both lipid-bound and lipid-free states that is essential to these lipophorin conversions. Besides, the lipophorin receptor (LpR) was identified and characterized in the locust. In an integrative approach, this short review aims at highlighting the locust as an unrivalled model for studying (neuro)hormonal regulation of lipid mobilization and transport during insect flight activity, that additionally has offered a broad and profound research model for integrative physiology and biochemistry, and particularly focuses on recent developments in the concept of AKH-induced changes in the lipophorin system during locust flight, that deviates fundamentally from the lipoprotein-based transport of lipids in the circulation of mammals. Current studies in this field employing the locust as a model continue to attribute to its role as a favored model organism, but also reveal some disadvantages compared to model insects with a completely sequenced genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dick J Van der Horst
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Biology and Institute of Biomembranes, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Rao KR, Riehm JP, Zahnow CA, Kleinholz LH, Tarr GE, Johnson L, Norton S, Landau M, Semmes OJ, Sattelberg RM, Jorenby WH, Hintz MF. Characterization of a pigment-dispersing hormone in eyestalks of the fiddler crab Uca pugilator. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 82:5319-22. [PMID: 16593589 PMCID: PMC390559 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.82.16.5319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A pigment-dispersing hormone (PDH) from eyestalks of the fiddler crab Uca pugilator has been purified by gel filtration, ion-exchange chromatography, partition chromatography, and reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Based on automated gas-phase sequencing and subsequent identification of carboxyl-terminal amide, we have assigned the primary structure of this peptide as Asn-Ser-Glu-Leu-Ile-Asn-Ser-Ile-Leu-Gly-Leu-Pro-Lys-Val-Met-Asn-Asp-Ala-NH (2). We have confirmed the sequence by synthesizing this peptide and demonstrating that the synthetic PDH and the native PDH display identical chromatographic behavior and biological activity. This hormone is a member of a family of invertebrate neuropeptides that includes a light-adapting/pigment-dispersing octadecapeptide hormone from the prawn Pandalus borealis. In assays for melanophore pigment dispersion in destalked fiddler crabs, Uca PDH was 21-fold more potent than Pandalus PDH. These two hormones share a hexapeptide core sequence (residues 5-10: -Ile-Asn-Ser-Ile-Leu-Gly-) as well as the amino- and carboxyl-terminal residues but differ at positions 3, 4, 11, 13, 16, and 17. These results point to speciesrelated or group-specific structural differences among crustacean PDHs.
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Affiliation(s)
- K R Rao
- Department of Biology, The University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514
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50
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Rhea JM, Wegener C, Bender M. The proprotein convertase encoded by amontillado (amon) is required in Drosophila corpora cardiaca endocrine cells producing the glucose regulatory hormone AKH. PLoS Genet 2010; 6:e1000967. [PMID: 20523747 PMCID: PMC2877730 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2009] [Accepted: 04/21/2010] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide hormones are potent signaling molecules that coordinate animal physiology, behavior, and development. A key step in activation of these peptide signals is their proteolytic processing from propeptide precursors by a family of proteases, the subtilisin-like proprotein convertases (PCs). Here, we report the functional dissection of amontillado (amon), which encodes the Drosophila homolog of the mammalian PC2 protein, using cell-type specific inactivation and rescue experiments, and we show that amon is required in the islet-like adipokinetic hormone (AKH)–producing cells that regulate sugar homeostasis. In Drosophila, AKH acts analogously to vertebrate glucagon to increase circulating sugar levels from energy stores, while insulin-like peptides (DILPs) act to decrease sugar levels. amon mutant larvae have significantly reduced hemolymph sugar levels, and thus phenocopy larvae where the AKH–producing cells in the corpora cardiaca have been ablated. Reduction of amon expression in these cells via cell-specific RNA inactivation also results in larvae with reduced sugar levels while expression of amon in AKH cells in an amon mutant background rescues hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia in larvae resulting from amon RNA inactivation in the AKH cells can be rescued by global expression of the akh gene. Finally, mass spectrometric profiling shows that the production of mature AKH is inhibited in amon mutants. Our data indicate that amon function in the AKH cells is necessary to maintain normal sugar homeostasis, that amon functions upstream of akh, and that loss of mature AKH is correlated with loss of amon activity. These observations indicate that the AKH propeptide is a proteolytic target of the amon proprotein convertase and provide evidence for a conserved role of PC2 in processing metabolic peptide hormones. Peptide hormones are important signaling molecules that coordinate physiology, behavior, and development. A key step in production of peptide hormones is the proteolytic cleavage of larger inactive precursors by prohormone convertases (PCs). Studies in a variety of organisms, including humans, have shown that deficiencies in PC genes lead to complex and detrimental changes. We used fruitfly genetics to dissect the function of Drosophila PC2, encoded by the amon gene, in the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism. We found that amon is expressed in endocrine cells of the corpora cardiaca that produce the sugar-mobilizing adipokinetic hormone (AKH), a functional analog of vertebrate glucagon. Previous studies suggest that the AKH–producing cells are homologs of the glucagon-producing islet alpha-cells in the pancreas. We found that flies with amon deficiency had significantly reduced hemolymph (insect “blood”) sugar levels. Using cell-type specific inactivation and rescue experiments, we show that amon expression in the AKH cells is necessary and sufficient for normal sugar regulation. We also demonstrate that AKH production is inhibited in amon mutants. Our results indicate that amon is necessary to maintain normal hemolymph sugar levels by activating AKH and suggest a conservation of PC2 function in processing peptide hormones between flies and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne M. Rhea
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Christian Wegener
- Emmy Noether Neuropeptide Group, Department of Animal Physiology, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany
| | - Michael Bender
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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