Relaxin-like peptide in ascidians. I. Identification of the peptide and its mRNA in ovary of Herdmania momus

Endocrinology of protochordates

Large-scale gene duplications occurred early in the vertebrate lineage after the split with protochordates. Thus, protochordate hormones and their receptors, transcription factors, and signaling pathways may be the foundation for the endocrine system in vertebrates. A number of hormones have been identified including cionin, a likely ancestor of cholecytokinin (CCK) and gastrin. Both insulin and insulin-like growth hormone (IGF) have been identified in separate cDNAs in a tunicate, whereas only a single insulin-like peptide was found in amphioxus. In tunicates, nine distinct forms of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) are shown to induce gamete release, even though a pituitary gland and sex steroids are lacking. In both tunicates and amphioxus, there is evidence of some components of a thyroid system, but the lack of a sequenced genome for amphioxus has slowed progress in the structural identification of its hormones. Immunocytochemistry has been used to tentatively identify a number of hormones in protochordates, but structural and functional studies are needed. For receptors, protochordates have many vertebrate homologs of nuclear receptors, such as the thyroid, retinoic acid, and retinoid X receptors. Also, tunicates have cell surface receptors including the G-protein-coupled type, such as β-adrenergic, putative endocannabinoid, cionin (CCK-like), and two GnRH receptors. Several tyrosine kinase receptors include two epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors (tunicates) and an insulin/IGF receptor (amphioxus). Interestingly, neither steroid receptors nor a full complement of enzymes for synthesis of sex steroids are encoded in the Ciona genome. Tunicates appear to have some but not all of the necessary molecules to develop a vertebrate-like pituitary or complete thyroid system.

Bioactivity of recombinant prorelaxin from the marmoset monkey

The hormone relaxin (RLX) is generally present in the serum of humans and primates as a heterodimer, though some unprocessed prohormone may also be present. In order to test whether this proRLX is biologically relevant for human or primate physiology, recombinant marmoset monkey proRLX was synthesized in a baculovirus-infected cell system and tested in different bioassays. Marmoset proRLX is >70% identical to human H2 proRLX, especially in the so-called receptor-binding region of the B-peptide. The bioassay systems used were (a) cAMP production by human endometrial stromal cells and (b) cAMP production by the human monocyte cell line THP-1. In both bioassay systems recombinant proRLX showed comparable EC(50) values to pure porcine heterodimeric relaxin (porcine relaxin, 1.5-2.0 nM; marmoset prorelaxin 4.0-5.0 nM). Additionally, recombinant marmoset prorelaxin was shown to stimulate steroidogenesis in primary cultures of marmoset ovarian theca cells, though with a lower apparent activity than porcine relaxin. It thus appears that precursor processing of human or primate relaxin is not an essential prerequisite for the acquisition of bioactivity, as it is for the closely related hormone insulin, and that circulating prorelaxin is physiologically relevant.

Porcine relaxin, a 500 million-year-old hormone? the tunicate Ciona intestinalis has porcine relaxin

The fossil record of tunicates reaches back to the upper Cambrian period. Ascidians have mobile, tadpole-like juvenile forms with a notochord, which inspired the classification of tunicates as Urochordata, i.e., predecessors of vertebrates. The genome of the tunicate Ciona intestinalis contains a relaxin coding region that is organized like a mammalian gene, i.e., signal peptide, B-chain domain, connecting peptide domain, followed by the A-chain domain with a stop codon after cysteine A-22. RNA-derived cDNA encodes a relaxin that is identical to the circulating form of the porcine hormone. In contrast to the porcine gene, the ascidian gene has no intron in the C-peptide domain, and in that respect is similar to the bombyxin gene of the silkworm. During the spawning period, only enough relaxin could be extracted and isolated from gonads of C. intestinalis for a partial sequence analysis. Remarkable as it may be, these findings suggest that relaxin is identical in pigs, whales, and the tunicate C. intestinalis.

Expression of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) in the cerebral ganglion and ovary of a protochordate

The distribution of neurones expressing POMC mRNA in the cerebral ganglion of the protochordate ascidian, Styela plicata, was investigated using a non-radioactive in situ hybridization technique. Nerve cell bodies of mono and bipolar types expressing POMC mRNA, were observed mainly in the outer layer of the ganglion. Discrete groups of neurones containing POMC mRNA were also localized in the inner portion of the ganglion, and few small monopolar perykaria expressing POMC mRNA were visible at the emergence of the main nerve trunks. POMC mRNA labeling was also found at level of the cytoplasm of previtellogenic and vitellogenic oocytes, and of follicular cells. Our results demonstrate the expression of one or more genes in the cerebral ganglion and ovary, that may be similar to one or more regions of the mammalian POMC gene. Therefore POMC-related molecules seem to be involved in neuromodulatory pathways and regulatory mechanisms of the oogenesis of ascidians.

Relaxin-like peptide in ascidians. II. Bioassay and immunolocalization with anti-porcine relaxin in three species

A substance related to vertebrate relaxin, previously identified by radioimmunoassay and Northern hybridization in the ascidian Herdmania momus, was also purified and tested in bioassay in another species, Ciona intestinalis. In addition, immunocytochemistry with anti-porcine relaxin was performed, at the light and electron microscopic levels, on sections of ovary from three different species, living in various environmental conditions. A positive immunoreaction was located specifically in follicle cells surrounding mature oocytes. The role of this relaxin-like substance in ascidian reproduction is unknown.