orcokinin and allatotropin

Light entrainment pathways synchronize the circadian clock of almost all species of the animal and plant kingdom to the daily light dark cycle. In the Madeira cockroach Rhyparobia (Leucophaea) maderae, the circadian clock is located in the accessory medulla of the brain's optic lobes. The clock has abundant neuropeptides with unknown functions. Previous studies suggested that myoinhibitory peptides (MIPs), orcokinins (ORCs), and allatotropin (AT) take part in light input pathways to the circadian clock. As the sequences of AT and ORCs of R. maderae have not yet been determined, with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry, the respective Rhyparobia peptides were characterized. To search for light-like phase-shifting inputs to the circadian clock, Rhyparobia-MIP-1, Rhyparobia-AT, and Rhyparobia-ORC were injected at different circadian times, combined with locomotor activity assays. An improved, less invasive injection method was developed that allowed for the analysis of peptide effects within <2 weeks after injection. Rhyparobia-MIP-1 and Rhyparobia-AT injections resulted in dose-dependent monophasic phase response curves with maximum delays at the beginning of the subjective night, similar to light-dependent phase delays. In contrast to Manduca sexta-AT, Rhyparobia-AT did not phase advance locomotor activity rhythms. Only injections of Rhyparobia-ORCs resulted in a biphasic light-like phase response curve. Thus, it is hypothesized that Rhyparobia-MIP-1 and -AT are candidates for relaying light-dependent delays and/or non-photic inputs to the clock, whereas Rhyparobia-ORCs might be part of the light-entrainment pathways relaying phase delays and advances to the circadian clock of the Madeira cockroach.

Topics: Animals; Circadian Clocks; Circadian Rhythm Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Cockroaches; Injections; Insect Hormones; Insect Proteins; Male; Motor Activity; Neuropeptides; Optic Lobe, Nonmammalian; Sequence Analysis, Protein

The genome of the spider mite was prospected for the presence of genes coding neuropeptides, neurohormones and their putative G-protein coupled receptors. Fifty one candidate genes were found to encode neuropeptides or neurohormones. These include all known insect neuropeptides and neurohormones, with the exception of sulfakinin, corazonin, neuroparsin and PTTH. True orthologs of adipokinetic hormone (AKH) were neither found, but there are three genes encoding peptides similar in structure to both AKH and the AKH-corazonin-related peptide. We were also unable to identify the precursors for pigment dispersing factor (PDF) or the recently discovered trissin. However, the spider mite probably does have such genes, as we found their putative receptors. A novel arthropod neuropeptide gene was identified that shows similarity to previously described molluscan neuropeptide genes and was called EFLamide. A total of 65 putative neuropeptide GPCR genes were also identified, of these 58 belong to the A-family and 7 to the B-family. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 50 of them are closely related to insect GPCRs, which allowed the identification of their putative ligand in 39 cases with varying degrees of certainty. Other spider mite GPCRs however have no identifiable orthologs in the genomes of the four holometabolous insect species best analyzed. Whereas some of the latter have orthologs in hemimetabolous insect species, crustaceans or ticks, for others such arthropod homologs are currently unknown.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Arthropod Proteins; Insect Hormones; Insulins; Invertebrate Hormones; Molecular Sequence Data; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Neuropeptides; Neurotransmitter Agents; Oligopeptides; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; Tetranychidae