The function of corpus cardiacum peptides in horse flies

Adipokinetic hormones in the African malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae: Identification and expression of genes for two peptides and a putative receptor

“…These results suggest that an AKH may play an important role in the mobilization of nutrients for flight by mosquitoes, as shown in other insects (Van der Horst, 2003). For other Diptera, AKHs and their bioactivity have been reported for the horse fly, Tabanus atratus (Jaffe et al, 1989;Woodring and Leprince, 1992), blow fly, Phormia terraenovae (Ga¨de et al, 1990), flesh fly, Neobellieria bullata (Verleyen et al, 2004), and D. melanogaster (Isabel et al, 2005;Lee and Park, 2004). Previously, a putative AKH gene had been identified in the genome of An.…”

“…Anoga-AKHs likely play an important role in regulating nutrient mobilization during flight, as in other insects (Ga¨de and Auerswald, 2003;Van der Horst, 2003). The precedent of a hypertrehalosaemic (or hyperglycaemic) effect by AKHs is known for a few dipteran species (Ga¨de et al, 1990;Isabel et al, 2005;Lee and Park, 2004), as is that of a hyperlipaemic effect (Isabel et al, 2005;Jaffe et al, 1989;Lee and Park, 2004;Woodring and Leprince, 1992). Further studies of the Anoga-AKHR are required to determine whether it binds both Anoga-AKHs and to define a signaling pathway.…”

The adipokinetic hormone system in Culicinae (Diptera: Culicidae): Molecular identification and characterization of two adipokinetic hormone (AKH) precursors from Aedes aegypti and Culex pipiens and two putative AKH receptor variants from A. aegypti

“…When Woodring and Leprince (1992) performed biological assays with these peptides in Tabanidae, quite different results were obtained: the decapeptide was very active in producing hyperlipaemia and hypertrehalosaemia in Tabanus lineola, whereas the octapeptide had only a small effect on elevating the haemolymph carbohydrates. The octapeptide AKH of A. gambiae is clearly involved in regulating the internal carbohydrate stores of the mosquito (Kaufmann and Brown, 2008).…”

Regulation of carbohydrate metabolism and flight performance by a hypertrehalosaemic hormone in the mosquito Anopheles gambiae

“…(Suborder Brachycera), there are two processed forms of AKH, an octapeptide and a decapeptide Kaufmann and Brown, 2006), Table 1). In tests with an intact adult tabanid species, T. atratus AKH decapeptide at 100 pmol/fly induced a significant hyperlipaemic and hyperglycaemic response; and the T. atratus AKH octapeptide (same dose), only a weak hyperglycaemic response (Woodring and Leprince, 1992). To date, only a processed AKH octapeptide with the same sequence has been identified in three higher dipteran species (Suborder Brachycera): blow fly, P. terraenovae , fruit fly, D. melanogaster , and flesh fly, Neobellieria bullata (Table 1).…”

“…Both carbohydrates and lipids are used as flight substrates in females of this species (Kaufmann and Briegel, 2004). Other dipteran AKHs have been identified (Table 1), and their bioactivity reported for the blow fly, Phormia terraenovae , the horse fly (Tabanus spp., Woodring and Leprince, 1992), the tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans (Pimley, 1984;Mwangi and Awiti, 1989), and the fruit fly, D. melanogaster (Lee and Park, 2004). In this study, we first tested the synthetic Anoga-AKHs for effects on metabolite mobilization in female A. gambiae, and then examined whether these peptides also affected female flight performance.…”