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Thongbuakaew T, Mukem S, Chaiyamoon A, Khornchatri K, Kruangkum T, Cummins SF, Sobhon P. Characterization, expression, and function of the pyrokinins (PKs) in the giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:275663. [PMID: 35578905 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Pyrokinins (PKs) are neuropeptides that have been found to regulate a variety of physiological activities including reproduction in various insect and crustacean species. However, the reproductive roles of PKs in the giant freshwater prawn have not yet been investigated. In this study, we identified the MroPK gene from next-generation sequence resources, which encodes a MroPK precursor that shares a high degree of conservation with the C-terminal sequence of FxPRLamide in other arthropods. MroPK is expressed within most tissues, except the hepatopancreas, stomach, and gill. Within developing ovarian tissue, MroPK expression was found to be significantly higher during the early stages (stages 1-2) compared with the late stages (stages 3-4), and could be localized to the oogonia, previtellogenic, and early vitellogenic oocytes. A role for PK in M. rosenbergii reproduction was supported following experimental administration of MroPK to ovarian explant cultures, showing an increase in the productions of progesterone and estradiol and upregulation of steroidogenesis-related genes (3β-HSD and 17β-HSD) and vitellogenin (Vg) expressions. Together, these results support a role for MroPK in regulating ovarian maturation via steroidogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sirirak Mukem
- School of Medicine, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80160, Thailand
| | - Arada Chaiyamoon
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
| | - Kanjana Khornchatri
- Chulabhorn International College of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani 12121, Thailand
| | - Thanapong Kruangkum
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Scott F Cummins
- Genecology Research Centre, School of Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland 4556, Australia
| | - Prasert Sobhon
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
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Sun X, Zhang K, Qin S, Zhang G, Li M. Transcriptomic analysis at the first instar larval stage of nonmolting Bombyx mori mutant (a42). ARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 104:e21663. [PMID: 32073185 DOI: 10.1002/arch.21663] [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: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The life cycle of the holometabolous insect Bombyx mori (Linnaeus) consists of the embryo, larva, pupa, and adult stages with six larval molts. Ecdysone and juvenile hormones play important roles in the growth and development of the silkworms. The a42 silkworm mutant is recessive and homozygous lethal by exhibiting a dark-colored and small body size and fails to molt to second instar. We compared the gene expression of a42 mutants with normal individuals at the first larval molting stage to elucidate the physiological influence of the a42 mutation on the growth and development of silkworms. The transcriptomic sequencing results revealed that 1,411 genes are differentially expressed in a42 mutants, compared with wild-type control silkworms, in which 791 genes are upregulated and 620 genes are downregulated. Gene Ontology/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) assigned to biological pathways, such as pentose and glucoronate interconversions, glycerolipid metabolism, folate biosynthesis, amino sugar, and nucleotide sugar metabolism. Two hydroxylases of phenylalanine hydroxylase (BmPAH) and tyrosine hydroxylase (BmTh) are upregulated in a42 mutants. The influence of a42 mutation on these DEGs reveals that melanin metabolism plays an important role during the molting process in silkworms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
- The Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
| | - Kaixiang Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
| | - Sheng Qin
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
- The Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guozheng Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
- The Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
| | - Muwang Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
- The Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
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Giraudo M, Douville M, Cottin G, Houde M. Transcriptomic, cellular and life-history responses of Daphnia magna chronically exposed to benzotriazoles: Endocrine-disrupting potential and molting effects. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0171763. [PMID: 28196088 PMCID: PMC5308779 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Benzotriazoles (BZTs) are ubiquitous aquatic contaminants used in a wide range of industrial and domestic applications from aircraft deicers to dishwasher tablets. Acute toxicity has been reported in aquatic organisms for some of the BZTs but their mode of action remains unknown. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the transcriptomic response of D. magna exposed to sublethal doses of 1H-benzotriazole (BTR), 5-methyl-1H-benzotriazole (5MeBTR) and 5-chloro-1H-benzotriazole (5ClBTR) using RNA-sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR. Cellular and life-history endpoints (survival, number of neonates, growth) were also investigated. Significant effects on the molting frequency were observed after 21-d exposure to 5MeBTR and 5ClBTR. No effects on molting frequency were observed for BTR but RNA-seq results indicated that this BZT induced the up-regulation of genes coding for cuticular proteins, which could have compensated the molting disruption. Molting in cladocerans is actively controlled by ecdysteroid hormones. Complementary short-term temporal analysis (4- and 8-d exposure) of the transcription of genes related to molting and hormone-mediated processes indicated that the three compounds had specific modes of action. BTR induced the transcription of genes involved in 20-hydroxyecdysone synthesis, which suggests pro-ecdysteroid properties. 5ClBTR exposure induced protein activity and transcriptional levels of chitinase enzymes, associated with an impact on ecdysteroid signaling pathways, which could explain the decrease in molt frequency. Finally, 5MeBTR seemed to increase molt frequency through epigenetic processes. Overall, results suggested that molting effects observed at the physiological level could be linked to endocrine regulation impacts of BZTs at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maeva Giraudo
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Mélanie Douville
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Guillaume Cottin
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Montreal, Québec, Canada
- Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Magali Houde
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Montreal, Québec, Canada
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Elucidating a chemical defense mechanism of Antarctic sponges: A computational study. J Mol Graph Model 2016; 71:104-115. [PMID: 27894019 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2016.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2016] [Revised: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 11/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In 2000, a novel secondary metabolite (erebusinone, Ereb) was isolated from the Antarctic sea sponge, Isodictya erinacea. The bioactivity of Ereb was investigated, and it was found to inhibit molting when fed to the arthropod species Orchomene plebs. Xanthurenic acid (XA) is a known endogenous molt regulator present in arthropods. Experimental studies have confirmed that XA inhibits molting by binding to either (or both) of two P450 enzymes (CYP315a1 or CYP314a1) that are responsible for the final two hydroxylations in the production of the molt-inducing hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). The lack of crystal structures and biochemical assays for CYP315a1 or CYP314a1, has prevented further experimental exploration of XA and Ereb's molt inhibition mechanisms. Herein, a wide array of computational techniques - homology modeling, molecular dynamics simulations, binding site bioinformatics, flexible receptor-flexible ligand docking, and molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area calculations - have been employed to elucidate the structure-function relationships between the aforementioned P450s and the two described small molecule inhibitors (Ereb and XA). Results indicate that Ereb likely targets CYP315a1 by interacting with a network of aromatic residues in the binding site, while XA may inhibit both CYP315a1 and CYP314a1 because of its aromatic, as well as charged nature.
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Sun W, Shen YH, Zhou LX, Zhang Z. Ecdysone Titer Determined by 3DE-3β-Reductase Enhances the Immune Response in the Silkworm. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2016; 196:1646-54. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1500158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Tom M, Manfrin C, Giulianini PG, Pallavicini A. Crustacean oxi-reductases protein sequences derived from a functional genomic project potentially involved in ecdysteroid hormones metabolism - a starting point for function examination. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2013; 194:71-80. [PMID: 24055302 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2013] [Accepted: 09/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
A transcriptomic assembly originated from hypodermis and Y organ of the crustacean Pontastacus leptodactylus is used here for in silico characterization of oxi-reductase enzymes potentially involved in the metabolism of ecdysteroid molting hormones. RNA samples were extracted from male Y organ and its neighboring hypodermis in all stages of the molt cycle. An equimolar RNA mix from all stages was sequenced using next generation sequencing technologies and de novo assembled, resulting with 74,877 unique contigs. These transcript sequences were annotated by examining their resemblance to all GenBank translated transcripts, determining their Gene Ontology terms and their characterizing domains. Based on the present knowledge of arthropod ecdysteroid metabolism and more generally on steroid metabolism in other taxa, transcripts potentially related to ecdysteroid metabolism were identified and their longest possible conceptual protein sequences were constructed in two stages, correct reading frame was deduced from BLASTX resemblances, followed by elongation of the protein sequence by identifying the correct translation frame of the original transcript. The analyzed genes belonged to several oxi-reductase superfamilies including the Rieske non heme iron oxygenases, cytochrome P450s, short-chained hydroxysteroid oxi-reductases, aldo/keto oxireductases, lamin B receptor/sterol reductases and glucose-methanol-cholin oxi-reductatses. A total of 68 proteins were characterized and the most probable participants in the ecdysteroid metabolism where indicated. The study provides transcript and protein structural information, a starting point for further functional studies, using a variety of gene-specific methods to demonstrate or disprove the roles of these proteins in relation to ecdysteroid metabolism in P. leptodactylus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moshe Tom
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, P.O.B 8030, Haifa 31080, Israel.
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Niwa R, Namiki T, Ito K, Shimada-Niwa Y, Kiuchi M, Kawaoka S, Kayukawa T, Banno Y, Fujimoto Y, Shigenobu S, Kobayashi S, Shimada T, Katsuma S, Shinoda T. Non-molting glossy/shroud encodes a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase that functions in the 'Black Box' of the ecdysteroid biosynthesis pathway. Development 2010; 137:1991-9. [PMID: 20501590 DOI: 10.1242/dev.045641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
In insects, the precise timing of molting and metamorphosis is strictly guided by a principal steroid hormone, ecdysone. Among the multiple conversion steps for synthesizing ecdysone from dietary cholesterol, the conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol to 5beta-ketodiol, the so-called 'Black Box', is thought to be the important rate-limiting step. Although a number of genes essential for ecdysone synthesis have recently been revealed, much less is known about the genes that are crucial for functioning in the Black Box. Here we report on a novel ecdysteroidgenic gene, non-molting glossy (nm-g)/shroud (sro), which encodes a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase. This gene was first isolated by positional cloning of the nm-g mutant of the silkworm Bombyx mori, which exhibits a low ecdysteroid titer and consequently causes a larval arrest phenotype. In the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, the closest gene to nm-g is encoded by the sro locus, one of the Halloween mutant members that are characterized by embryonic ecdysone deficiency. The lethality of the sro mutant is rescued by the overexpression of either sro or nm-g genes, indicating that these two genes are orthologous. Both the nm-g and the sro genes are predominantly expressed in tissues producing ecdysone, such as the prothoracic glands and the ovaries. Furthermore, the phenotypes caused by the loss of function of these genes are restored by the application of ecdysteroids and their precursor 5beta-ketodiol, but not by cholesterol or 7-dehydrocholesterol. Altogether, we conclude that the Nm-g/Sro family protein is an essential enzyme for ecdysteroidogenesis working in the Black Box.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryusuke Niwa
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennoudai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan.
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Warren JT, O'Connor MB, Gilbert LI. Studies on the Black Box: incorporation of 3-oxo-7-dehydrocholesterol into ecdysteroids by Drosophila melanogaster and Manduca sexta. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2009; 39:677-687. [PMID: 19699302 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2009.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2009] [Accepted: 08/12/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
It has long been hypothesized that the oxidation of 7-dehydrocholesterol (7dC), made from dietary cholesterol (C), to 3-oxo-7dC (3-oxo-Delta(5,7)C) immediately precedes the unknown "Black Box" oxidations that lead to the formation of the first up-stream intermediate exhibiting the highly characteristic ecdysteroid structure of the steroid molting hormone of insects, crustaceans and some other arthropods. Perhaps rate-limiting and under the control of the prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH), the biosynthesis of 3-oxo-7dC and its subsequent oxidative modifications have been difficult to study because of their apparent instability, i.e. no intermediates between 7dC and the diketol (3-oxo-25,22,2-trideoxyecdysone) have ever been observed or identified in insect prothoracic gland incubations with radiolabelled precursors. However, we show that 3-oxo-7dC can be converted into lipophilic, photosensitive, ketone-blocked (PSKB) ketal derivatives which will release 3-oxo-7dC when and where desired following brief irradiation with innocuous long-wave (365 nm) UV-light both in vivo and in vitro. In this manner, 3-oxo-7dC is quickly and efficiently incorporated into ecdysteroids by adult male and female Drosophila raised on a diet containing the PSKB ketals and in prothoracic glands of Manduca sexta incubated with the ketals emulsified into media. The instability of 3-oxo-7dC and its spontaneous transformation into extensively electron-delocalized intermediates will be discussed in relation to a possible mechanism of the Black Box oxidations eventually leading to the production of the active molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E).
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Affiliation(s)
- James T Warren
- Department of Biology, Campus Box 3280, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280, USA
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Brown MR, Sieglaff DH, Rees HH. Gonadal ecdysteroidogenesis in arthropoda: occurrence and regulation. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2009; 54:105-25. [PMID: 18680437 PMCID: PMC7205109 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ento.53.103106.093334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Ecdysteroids are multifunctional hormones in male and female arthropods and are stored in oocytes for use during embryogenesis. Ecdysteroid biosynthesis and its hormonal regulation are demonstrated for insect gonads, but not for the gonads of other arthropods. The Y-organ in the cephalothorax of crustaceans and the integument of ticks are sources of secreted ecdysteroids in adults, as in earlier stages, but the tissue source is not known for adults in many arthropod groups. Ecdysteroid metabolism occurs in several tissues of adult arthropods. This review summarizes the evidence for ecdysteroid biosynthesis by gonads and its metabolism in adult arthropods and considers the apparent uniqueness of ecdysteroid hormones in arthropods, given the predominance of vertebrate-type steroids in sister invertebrate groups and vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark R Brown
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA.
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Rewitz KF, Rybczynski R, Warren JT, Gilbert LI. The Halloween genes code for cytochrome P450 enzymes mediating synthesis of the insect moulting hormone. Biochem Soc Trans 2006; 34:1256-60. [PMID: 17073797 DOI: 10.1042/bst0341256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The developmental events occurring during moulting and metamorphosis of insects are controlled by precisely timed changes in levels of ecdysteroids, the moulting hormones. The final four sequential hydroxylations of steroid precursors into the active ecdysteroid of insects, 20E (20-hydroxyecdysone), are mediated by four cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes, encoded by genes in the Halloween family. Orthologues of the Drosophila Halloween genes phantom (phm; CYP306A1), disembodied (dib; CYP302A1), shadow (sad; CYP315A1) and shade (shd; CYP314A1) were obtained from the endocrinological model insect, the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta. Expression of these genes was studied and compared with changes in the ecdysteroid titre that controls transition from the larval to pupal stage. phm, dib and sad, which encode P450s that mediate the final hydroxylations in the biosynthesis of ecdysone, were selectively expressed in the prothoracic gland, the primary source of ecdysone during larval and pupal development. Changes in their expression correlate with the haemolymph ecdysteroid titre during the fifth (final) larval instar. Shd, the 20-hydroxylase, which converts ecdysone into the more active 20E, is expressed in tissues peripheral to the prothoracic glands during the fifth instar. Transcript levels of shd in the fat body and midgut closely parallel the enzyme activity measured in vitro. The results indicate that these Halloween genes are transcriptionally regulated to support the high biosynthetic activity that produces the cyclic ecdysteroid pulses triggering moulting.
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Affiliation(s)
- K F Rewitz
- Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Roskilde University, P.O. Box 260, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
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Rewitz KF, Styrishave B, Løbner-Olsen A, Andersen O. Marine invertebrate cytochrome P450: emerging insights from vertebrate and insects analogies. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2006; 143:363-81. [PMID: 16769251 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2006.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2006] [Revised: 04/11/2006] [Accepted: 04/12/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450s) are responsible for the oxidative metabolism of a plethora of endogenous and exogenous substrates. P450s and associated activities have been demonstrated in numerous marine invertebrates belonging to the phyla Cnidaria, Annelida (Polychaeta), Mollusca, Arthropoda (Crustacea) and Echinodermata. P450s of marine invertebrates and vertebrates show considerable sequence divergence and the few orthologs reveal the selective constraint on physiologically significant enzymes. P450s are present in virtually all tissues of marine invertebrates, although high levels usually are found in hepatic-like organs and steroidogenic tissues. High-throughput technologies result in the rapid acquisition of new marine invertebrate P450 sequences; however, the understanding of their function is poor. Based on analogy to vertebrates and insects, it is likely that P450s play a pivotal role in the physiology of marine invertebrates by catalyzing the biosynthesis of signal molecules including steroids such as 20-hydroxyecdysone (the molting hormone of crustaceans). The metabolism of many exogenous compounds including benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), pyrene, ethoxyresorufin, ethoxycoumarin and aniline is mediated by P450 enzymes in tissues of marine invertebrates. P450 gene expression, protein levels and P450 mediated metabolism of xenobiotics are induced by PAHs in some marine invertebrate species. Thus, regulation of P450 enzyme activity may play a central role in the adaptation of animals to environmental pollutants. Emphasis should be put on the elucidation of the function and regulation of the ever-increasing number of marine invertebrate P450s.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim F Rewitz
- Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Roskilde University, P.O. Box 260, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
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Rewitz KF, Rybczynski R, Warren JT, Gilbert LI. Developmental expression of Manduca shade, the P450 mediating the final step in molting hormone synthesis. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2006; 247:166-74. [PMID: 16473459 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2005.12.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2005] [Revised: 12/20/2005] [Accepted: 12/28/2005] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The ecdysone 20-monooxygenase (E20MO; 20-hydroxylase) is the enzyme that mediates the conversion of ecdysone (E) to the active insect molting hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), which coordinates developmental progression. We report the identification and developmental expression of the Halloween gene shade (shd; CYP314A1) that encodes the E20MO in the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta. Manduca Shd (MsShd) mediates the conversion of E to 20E when expressed in Drosophila S2 cells. In accord with the central dogma, the data show that Msshd is expressed mainly in the midgut, Malpighian tubules, fat body and epidermis with very low expression in the prothoracic gland and nervous system. Developmental variations in E20MO enzymatic activity are almost perfectly correlated with comparable changes in the gene expression of Msshd in the fat body and midgut during the fifth instar and the beginning of pupal-adult development. The results indicate three successive and overlapping peaks of expression in the fat body, midgut and Malpighian tubules, respectively, during the fifth larval instar. The data suggest that precise tissue-specific transcriptional regulation controls the levels, and thereby the activity, of the Manduca E20MO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim F Rewitz
- Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Roskilde University, P.O. Box 260, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
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Rewitz KF, Rybczynski R, Warren JT, Gilbert LI. Identification, characterization and developmental expression of Halloween genes encoding P450 enzymes mediating ecdysone biosynthesis in the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2006; 36:188-99. [PMID: 16503480 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2005.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2005] [Revised: 12/05/2005] [Accepted: 12/06/2005] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The insect molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) plays a central role in regulating gene expression during development and metamorphosis. In many Lepidoptera, the pro-hormone 3-dehydroecdysone (3DE), synthesized from cholesterol in the prothoracic gland, is rapidly converted to ecdysone (E) by a hemolymph reductase, and E is subsequently converted to 20E in various peripheral target tissues. Recently, four Drosophila melanogaster P450 enzymes, encoded by specific Halloween genes, were cloned and functionally characterized as mediating the last hydroxylation steps leading to 20E. We extended this work to the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta, an established model for endocrinological and developmental studies. cDNA clones were obtained for three Manduca orthologs of CYP306A1 (phantom; phm, the 25-hydroxylase), CYP302A1 (disembodied; dib, the 22-hydroxylase) and CYP315A1 (shadow; sad, the 2-hydroxylase), expressed predominantly in the prothoracic gland during the fifth (final) larval instar and during pupal-adult development, with fifth instar mRNA levels closely paralleling the hemolymph ecdysteroid titer. The data indicate that transcriptional regulation of phm, dib and sad plays a role in the developmentally varying steroidogenic capacities of the prothoracic glands during the fifth instar. The consistent expression of the Halloween genes confirms the importance of the prothoracic glands in pupal-adult development. These studies establish Manduca as an excellent model for examining the regulation of the Halloween genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim F Rewitz
- Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Roskilde University, P.O. Box 260, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
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Parvy JP, Blais C, Bernard F, Warren JT, Petryk A, Gilbert LI, O'Connor MB, Dauphin-Villemant C. A role for betaFTZ-F1 in regulating ecdysteroid titers during post-embryonic development in Drosophila melanogaster. Dev Biol 2005; 282:84-94. [PMID: 15936331 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2005.02.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2004] [Revised: 02/18/2005] [Accepted: 02/28/2005] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Variations in ecdysteroid titers play crucial roles in arthropods by initiating and regulating molting and metamorphosis. The recent identification of genes coding for cytochrome P450 enzymes involved in Drosophila ecdysteroidogenesis provides new molecular tools to investigate the regulation of insect hormone production. In the present study, we used an enzyme immunoassay to show that the molting hormone titer is strictly correlated with the steroidogenic capacity of the ring gland. A temporal correlation between dynamics of ecdysone production and expression of genes encoding steroidogenic enzymes was observed during the third instar, suggesting that the timing of hormone production depends on transcriptional regulation of the biosynthetic enzymes. Using clonal analysis, levels of two steroidogenic enzymes, Phantom (PHM) and Disembodied (DIB), were shown to be very reduced in ftz transcription factor 1 (ftz-f1) mutant ring gland cells whereas there was no effect of the without children (woc) mutation, suggesting that FTZ-F1 regulates phm and dib expression. Since betaFTZ-F1 is the homolog of the vertebrate steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1), which plays a key role in the differentiation of vertebrate steroidogenic organs through transcriptional regulation of steroidogenic enzymes, this study emphasizes the strong parallels between insects and vertebrates with respect to the regulatory mechanisms of steroidogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- J-P Parvy
- FRE2852 CNRS Protéines: Biochimie structurale et fonctionnelle, Groupe Biogenèse des Stéroïdes, Université P. et M. Curie, Bat. A, Case 29, 7 Quai St. Bernard, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France
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Aragon S, Claudinot S, Blais C, Maïbèche M, Dauphin-Villemant C. Molting cycle-dependent expression of CYP4C15, a cytochrome P450 enzyme putatively involved in ecdysteroidogenesis in the crayfish, Orconectes limosus. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2002; 32:153-159. [PMID: 11755057 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(01)00095-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
A cytochrome P450 enzyme cDNA (CYP4C15) has been previously cloned from a cDNA library of crayfish steroidogenic glands (Y-organs). The conceptual translation of the CYP4C15 cDNA sequence was analyzed for regions of putative high antigenicity and a mixture of two synthetic peptides was chosen for the production of a specific polyclonal antibody. Western blot analysis on Y-organ subcellular fractions indicated an endoplasmic reticulum location of CYP4C15, in agreement with the structural feature of the predicted protein, i.e. the presence of a hydrophobic N-terminal segment. The protein is only expressed in Y-organs, thus showing a similar distribution to the corresponding mRNA. From this tissue specific expression, it has been postulated that CYP4C15 would play a role in ecdysteroid biosynthesis rather than detoxification and the variations of its expression during a molt cycle were carefully examined. CYP4C15 is not detectable in intermolt animals, expression levels are maximal during early premolt and decrease during late premolt. The results are discussed in relation to the variations of hemolymphatic ecdysteroid titers and steroidogenic capacities of the Y-organs during the molt cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Aragon
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Laboratoire Endocrinologie Moleculaire et Evolution, Bât A, Seme etage, Case 29, 7 Quai Saint-Bernard, F-75005 Paris, France
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Warren JT, Wismar J, Subrahmanyam B, Gilbert LI. Woc (without children) gene control of ecdysone biosynthesis in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2001; 181:1-14. [PMID: 11476936 DOI: 10.1016/s0303-7207(01)00404-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The first step in ecdysteroidogenesis, i.e. the 7,8-dehydrogenation of dietary cholesterol (C) to 7-dehydrocholesterol (7dC), is blocked in Drosophila melanogaster homozygous woc (without children) third instar larval ring glands (source of ecdysone). Unlike ring glands from wild-type D. melanogaster larvae, glands from woc mutants cannot convert radiolabelled C or 25-hydroxycholesterol (25C) to 7dC or 7-dehydro-25-hydroxycholesterol (7d25C) in vitro, nor to ecdysone (E). Yet, when these same glands are incubated with synthetic tracer 7d25C, the rate of metabolism of this polar Delta(5,7)-sterol into E is identical to that observed with glands from comparably staged wild-type larvae. The absence of this enzymatic activity in vivo is probably the direct cause of the observed low whole-body ecdysteroid titers in late third instar homozygous mutant larvae, the low ecdysteroid secretory activity in vitro of brain-ring gland complexes from these animals, and the failure of the larvae to pupariate (undergo metamorphosis). Oral administration of 7dC, but not C, results in a dramatic increase in ecdysteroid production both in vivo and in vitro by the woc mutant brain-ring gland complexes and affects a partial rescue to the beginning of pupal-adult development, but no further, despite elevated whole-body ecdysteroid titers. Data previously reported (Wismar et al., 2000) indicate that the woc gene encodes a zinc-finger protein that apparently modulates the activity of the 7,8-dehydrogenase.
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Affiliation(s)
- J T Warren
- Department of Biology, Campus Box #3280, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599-3280, USA
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Veitia RA, Hurst LD. Accelerated molecular evolution of insect orthologues of ERG28/C14orf1: a link with ecdysteroid metabolism? J Genet 2001; 80:17-21. [PMID: 11910120 DOI: 10.1007/bf02811414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
We have analysed the evolution of ERG28/C14orf1, a gene coding for a protein involved in sterol biosynthesis. While primary sequence of the protein is well conserved in all organisms able to synthesize sterols de novo, strong divergence is noticed in insects, which are cholesterol auxotrophs. In spite of this virtual acceleration, our analysis suggests that the insect orthologues are evolving today at rates similar to those of the remaining members of the family. A plausible way to explain this acceleration and subsequent stabilization is that Erg28 plays a role in at least two different pathways. Discontinuation of the cholesterogenesis pathway in insects allowed the protein to evolve as much as the function in the other pathway was not compromised.
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Affiliation(s)
- R A Veitia
- Unité d'Immunogénétique Humaine/Université Denis Diderot - Paris VII, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France.
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Reixach N, Lafont R, Camps F, Casas J. Biotransformations of putative phytoecdysteroid biosynthetic precursors in tissue cultures of Polypodium vulgare. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY 1999; 266:608-15. [PMID: 10561604 DOI: 10.1046/j.1432-1327.1999.00905.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Incubation of calli and prothalli of Polypodium vulgare with different tritium-labelled ecdysteroids has led to modification of some previous assumptions about the biosynthesis of ecdysteroids in plants. Thus, 25-deoxy-20-hydroxyecdysone was transformed efficiently in both tissues into 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), but no 25-deoxyecdysteroids such as pterosterone and inokosterone were formed. Likewise, incubation of 2-deoxyecdysone (2dE) produced exclusively ecdysone (E) and 20E, indicating a high 2-hydroxylase activity in both tissues, despite calli not producing phytoecdysteroids. This 2-hydroxylation was also evident in the transformation of 2,22-dideoxyecdysone (2,22dE) into 22-deoxyecdysone (22dE). Different ecdysteroids that do not occur in P. vulgare were formed in the incubation of 3-dehydro-2,22,25-trideoxyecdysone (3D2,22,25dE) by 3alpha-reduction and 3beta-reduction and 25-hydroxylation processes. The fact that 22,25-dideoxyecdysone and 22dE were the only 2-hydroxylated products formed in this case suggests that only compounds bearing a 3beta-hydroxyl group are substrates for the 2-hydroxylase. Surprisingly, 22-hydroxylation was never observed with either 2,22dE or 3D2,22,25dE, raising the possibility that it could occur at an early step in the biosynthetic pathway. In this respect, labelled 22R-hydroxycholesterol was efficiently converted into E and 20E, whereas 22S-hydroxycholesterol was not transformed into ecdysteroids, because of its unsuitable configuration at C22. Finally, the conversion of 25-hydroxycholesterol into E and 20E was greatly enhanced after thermal treatment of prothalli which induces the release of previously stored ecdysteroids. Thus, P. vulgare prothalli and calli appear to be particularly suitable models for the study of ecdysteroid biosynthesis and its regulation in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Reixach
- Department of Biological Organic Chemistry, IIQAB-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
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Dauphin-Villemant C, Böcking D, Tom M, Maïbèche M, Lafont R. Cloning of a novel cytochrome P450 (CYP4C15) differentially expressed in the steroidogenic glands of an arthropod. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1999; 264:413-8. [PMID: 10529378 DOI: 10.1006/bbrc.1999.1363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Biosynthesis of ecdysteroids, arthropod steroid molting hormones, proceeds from dietary cholesterol through a complex and still incompletely elucidated pathway. Most of the known steps are catalyzed by cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) but none of their genes has yet been identified. We have established a cDNA library of crayfish steroidogenic glands (Y organs). A full length CYP-cDNA was characterized containing a 1539 bp open reading frame encoding a predicted protein of 513 amino acid residues. This novel CYP was assigned to the CYP4 family and designated CYP4C15. Northern blots demonstrated predominant expression of this gene in the active molting glands, suggesting a role in ecdysteroid biosynthesis rather than detoxification.
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Warren JT, Dai JD, Gilbert LI. Can the insect nervous system synthesize ecdysteroids? INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1999; 29:571-579. [PMID: 10406093 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(99)00033-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The term "neurosteroid" refers to both classic and unique steroid molecules that are synthesized from cholesterol (C) by the central and peripheral nervous systems of higher vertebrates. Therein, they accumulate and modulate nervous activity by a variety of mechanisms other than the classic steroid receptor-mediated modulation of genomic activity, although such may also be involved. Since the insect nervous system expresses ecdysteroid receptors and responds both directly and developmentally to ecdysteroids, the possibility of ecdysteroidogenesis in the pupal and adult central and peripheral nervous system of Manduca sexta and the nervous system of Drosophila melanogaster larvae was investigated. The endogenous concentrations of the critical, dietary-derived delta 5,7-sterols ergosterol and 7-dehydrocholesterol (7dC) remained 10 to 20-fold higher in the Manduca pupal and adult nervous tissues than was found in the larval hemolymph at the cessation of feeding. In addition, it was determined that the Manduca pupal nervous system, but not that of the adult, could synthesize 3H/14C-7dC or 3H-7-dehydro-25-hydroxycholesterol (3H-7d25C) from 3H/14C-cholesterol (3H/14C-C) or the polar sterol substrate 3H-25-hydroxycholesterol (3H-25C), respectively. However, none of the nervous system samples from the two species and the several stages analyzed, a small window of neural development in these insects, were capable of incorporating any of the above tracer precursor sterols into a radiolabelled ecdysteroid, i.e. less than 0.0005%. Thus, the absence of neurosteroidogenesis by the insect nervous system stands in sharp contrast to previously described nervous system steroid hormone biosynthesis by the mammalian nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- J T Warren
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599-3280, USA
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DAUPHIN-VILLEMANT CHANTAL, BLAIS CATHERINE, LAFONT RENE. Towards the Elucidation of the Ecdysteroid Biosynthetic Pathway. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1998. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1998.tb10781.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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