cDNA cloning and transcript distribution of two novel members of the neuroparsin family in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria

Abstract

This study describes the identification and distribution of two novel neuroparsin precursor transcripts (Scg-NPP3/Scg-NPP4) in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. Unlike Scg-NPP1 and Scg-NPP2, both transcripts were not only detected in the brain, but also in various other tissues, such as fat body, ventral nerve cord, testis and male accessory glands. Northern analysis showed that the levels of these transcripts are regulated during larval development, as well as during moulting and reproductive cycles. A significant increase in both mRNAs was observed during the period that just precedes the initial sexual activity of adult females and males. In silico analysis of sequence databases revealed the existence of several other neuroparsin-like peptides in a variety of arthropod species, including crustaceans and chelicerates. Neuroparsins also display similarities with vertebrate IGFBP.

An insulin-like peptide regulates egg maturation and metabolism in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

“…Another unresolved issue is the role of ILP3 relative to ovary ecdysteroidogenic hormone (OEH) that also stimulates ecdysteroid production (13). The mode of action for OEH is unknown, but sequence similarity to IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) intriguingly suggests ILPs and OEH may interact to activate the MIR in a manner similar to the interaction between IGFs and IGFBPs in activating IGFRs (42). That Drosophila (5) and A. aegypti (M.R.B.…”

Genomics, transcriptomics, and peptidomics of neuropeptides and protein hormones in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum

“…3). In locusts, multiple isoforms (four or more) and multiple functions have been described for this family of proteins (Janssen et al 2001;Claeys et al 2003), including an antidiuretic function (Fournier et al 1994), an involvement in phase transition (Claeys et al 2005), and a function for neural growth (Vanhems et al 1990). In the honeybee, a neuroparsin-like protein has been described as queen brain-selective protein-1 (GenBank accession no.…”

Purification and characterization of an insulin-related peptide in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria: immunolocalization, cDNA cloning, transcript profiling and interaction with neuroparsin

“…In order to compensate for possible variations due to pipetting errors and differences in reverse transcriptase efficiency, a S. gregaria b-actin transcript was analyzed as an endogenous control. Our previous studies indicated that the levels of this mRNA remain quite constant in locust tissues, regardless of developmental or physiological conditions (Vanden Broeck et al 1998, Janssen et al 2001, Claeys et al 2003. Primers for the endogenous control were described previously (Claeys et al 2005).…”

“…The 'parsins' were initially discovered as small neurosecretory proteins that are present in the pars intercerebralis-CC complex of the locust brain (Girardie et al 1989, Lagueux et al 1990, Hetru et al 1991. Although NPs were first identified in locusts, genome and expressed sequence tags data have revealed the presence of various members of the NPs family in other arthropod species (Claeys et al 2003). Furthermore, these small Cys-rich proteins display sequence similarity with the conserved N-terminal region of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs), which possesses the hormone binding capacity (Claeys et al 2003).…”

“…Although NPs were first identified in locusts, genome and expressed sequence tags data have revealed the presence of various members of the NPs family in other arthropod species (Claeys et al 2003). Furthermore, these small Cys-rich proteins display sequence similarity with the conserved N-terminal region of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs), which possesses the hormone binding capacity (Claeys et al 2003). An IGFBP-like peptide was also identified in another invertebrate, namely the mollusk, Haliotis laevigata (Weiss et al 2001).…”