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Wang HY, Yu K, Liu WJ, Jiang HM, Guo SQ, Xu JP, Li YD, Chen P, Ding XY, Fu P, Zhang YCF, Mei YS, Zhang G, Zhou HB, Jing J. Molecular Characterization of Two Wamide Neuropeptide Signaling Systems in Mollusk Aplysia. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023. [PMID: 37339428 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptides with the C-terminal Wamide (Trp-NH2) are one of the last common ancestors of peptide families of eumetazoans and play various physiological roles. In this study, we sought to characterize the ancient Wamide peptides signaling systems in the marine mollusk Aplysia californica, i.e., APGWamide (APGWa) and myoinhibitory peptide (MIP)/Allatostatin B (AST-B) signaling systems. A common feature of protostome APGWa and MIP/AST-B peptides is the presence of a conserved Wamide motif in the C-terminus. Although orthologs of the APGWa and MIP signaling systems have been studied to various extents in annelids or other protostomes, no complete signaling systems have yet been characterized in mollusks. Here, through bioinformatics, molecular and cellular biology, we identified three receptors for APGWa, namely, APGWa-R1, APGWa-R2, and APGWa-R3. The EC50 values for APGWa-R1, APGWa-R2, and APGWa-R3 are 45, 2100, and 2600 nM, respectively. For the MIP signaling system, we predicted 13 forms of peptides, i.e., MIP1-13 that could be generated from the precursor identified in our study, with MIP5 (WKQMAVWa) having the largest number of copies (4 copies). Then, a complete MIP receptor (MIPR) was identified and the MIP1-13 peptides activated the MIPR in a dose-dependent manner, with EC50 values ranging from 40 to 3000 nM. Peptide analogs with alanine substitution experiments demonstrated that the Wamide motif at the C-terminus is necessary for receptor activity in both the APGWa and MIP systems. Moreover, cross-activity between the two signaling systems showed that MIP1, 4, 7, and 8 ligands could activate APGWa-R1 with a low potency (EC50 values: 2800-22,000 nM), which further supported that the APGWa and MIP signaling systems are somewhat related. In summary, our successful characterization of Aplysia APGWa and MIP signaling systems represents the first example in mollusks and provides an important basis for further functional studies in this and other protostome species. Moreover, this study may be useful for elucidating and clarifying the evolutionary relationship between the two Wamide signaling systems (i.e., APGWa and MIP systems) and their other extended neuropeptide signaling systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Ying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Ke Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Wei-Jia Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Hui-Min Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Shi-Qi Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Ju-Ping Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Ya-Dong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Ping Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Xue-Ying Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Ping Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Yan-Chu-Fei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Yu-Shuo Mei
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Guo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Hai-Bo Zhou
- Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen 518000, China
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Jian Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
- Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen 518000, China
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
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Fu P, Mei YS, Liu WJ, Chen P, Jin QC, Guo SQ, Wang HY, Xu JP, Zhang YCF, Ding XY, Liu CP, Liu CY, Mao RT, Zhang G, Jing J. Identification of three elevenin receptors and roles of elevenin disulfide bond and residues in receptor activation in Aplysia californica. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7662. [PMID: 37169790 PMCID: PMC10175484 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34596-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptides are ubiquitous intercellular signaling molecules in the CNS and play diverse roles in modulating physiological functions by acting on specific G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Among them, the elevenin signaling system is now believed to be present primarily in protostomes. Although elevenin was first identified from the L11 neuron of the abdominal ganglion in mollusc Aplysia californica, no receptors have been described in Aplysia, nor in any other molluscs. Here, using two elevenin receptors in annelid Platynereis dumerilii, we found three putative elevenin GPCRs in Aplysia. We cloned the three receptors and tentatively named them apElevR1, apElevR2, and apElevR3. Using an inositol monophosphate (IP1) accumulation assay, we demonstrated that Aplysia elevenin with the disulfide bond activated the three putative receptors with low EC50 values (ranging from 1.2 to 25 nM), supporting that they are true receptors for elevenin. In contrast, elevenin without the disulfide bond could not activate the receptors, indicating that the disulfide bond is required for receptor activity. Using alanine substitution of individual conserved residues other than the two cysteines, we showed that these residues appear to be critical to receptor activity, and the three different receptors had different sensitivities to the single residue substitution. Finally, we examined the roles of those residues outside the disulfide bond ring by removing these residues and found that they also appeared to be important to receptor activity. Thus, our study provides an important basis for further study of the functions of elevenin and its receptors in Aplysia and other molluscs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yu-Shuo Mei
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wei-Jia Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ping Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qing-Chun Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shi-Qi Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hui-Ying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ju-Ping Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yan-Chu-Fei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xue-Ying Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Cui-Ping Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Cheng-Yi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Rui-Ting Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Jian Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Medical Psychology and Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China.
- Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518000, China.
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
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Xu JP, Ding XY, Guo SQ, Wang HY, Liu WJ, Jiang HM, Li YD, Fu P, Chen P, Mei YS, Zhang G, Zhou HB, Jing J. Characterization of an Aplysia vasotocin signaling system and actions of posttranslational modifications and individual residues of the ligand on receptor activity. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1132066. [PMID: 37021048 PMCID: PMC10067623 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1132066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The vasopressin/oxytocin signaling system is present in both protostomes and deuterostomes and plays various physiological roles. Although there were reports for both vasopressin-like peptides and receptors in mollusc Lymnaea and Octopus, no precursor or receptors have been described in mollusc Aplysia. Here, through bioinformatics, molecular and cellular biology, we identified both the precursor and two receptors for Aplysia vasopressin-like peptide, which we named Aplysia vasotocin (apVT). The precursor provides evidence for the exact sequence of apVT, which is identical to conopressin G from cone snail venom, and contains 9 amino acids, with two cysteines at position 1 and 6, similar to nearly all vasopressin-like peptides. Through inositol monophosphate (IP1) accumulation assay, we demonstrated that two of the three putative receptors we cloned from Aplysia cDNA are true receptors for apVT. We named the two receptors as apVTR1 and apVTR2. We then determined the roles of post-translational modifications (PTMs) of apVT, i.e., the disulfide bond between two cysteines and the C-terminal amidation on receptor activity. Both the disulfide bond and amidation were critical for the activation of the two receptors. Cross-activity with conopressin S, annetocin from an annelid, and vertebrate oxytocin showed that although all three ligands can activate both receptors, the potency of these peptides differed depending on their residue variations from apVT. We, therefore, tested the roles of each residue through alanine substitution and found that each substitution could reduce the potency of the peptide analog, and substitution of the residues within the disulfide bond tended to have a larger impact on receptor activity than the substitution of those outside the bond. Moreover, the two receptors had different sensitivities to the PTMs and single residue substitutions. Thus, we have characterized the Aplysia vasotocin signaling system and showed how the PTMs and individual residues in the ligand contributed to receptor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ju-Ping Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Institute for Brain Sciences, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xue-Ying Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Institute for Brain Sciences, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shi-Qi Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Institute for Brain Sciences, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hui-Ying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Institute for Brain Sciences, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wei-Jia Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Institute for Brain Sciences, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hui-Min Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Institute for Brain Sciences, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ya-Dong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Institute for Brain Sciences, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ping Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Institute for Brain Sciences, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ping Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Institute for Brain Sciences, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yu-Shuo Mei
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Institute for Brain Sciences, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Institute for Brain Sciences, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hai-Bo Zhou
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jian Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Institute for Brain Sciences, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Extracellular RNA, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
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AI protein structure prediction-based modeling and mutagenesis of a protostome receptor and peptide ligands reveal key residues for their interaction. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102440. [PMID: 36049520 PMCID: PMC9562341 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The protostome leucokinin (LK) signaling system, including LK peptides and their G protein-coupled receptors, has been characterized in several species. Despite progress in this area, molecular mechanisms governing LK peptide-receptor interactions remain to be elucidated. Previously, we identified a precursor protein for Aplysia leucokinin-like peptides (ALKs) that contains the greatest number of amidated peptides among LK precursors in all species identified so far. Here, we identified the first ALK receptor from Aplysia, ALKR. We used cell-based IP1 activation assays to demonstrate that the two ALK peptides with the most copies, ALK1 and ALK2, activated ALKR with high potencies. Other endogenous ALK-derived peptides bearing the FXXWX-amide motif also activated ALKR to various degrees. Our examination of cross-species activity of ALKs with the Anopheles LKR was consistent with a critical role for the FXXWX-amide motif in receptor activity. Furthermore, we showed, through alanine substitution of ALK1, the highly conserved phenylalanine (F), tryptophan (W), and C-terminal amidation were each essential for receptor activation. Finally, we used an AI-based protein structure prediction server (Robetta) and Autodock Vina to predict the ligand-bound conformation of ALKR. Our model predicted several interactions (i.e., hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds, and amide-pi stacking) between ALK peptides and ALKR, and several of our substitution and mutagenesis experiments were consistent with the predicted model. In conclusion, our results provide important information defining the possible interactions between ALK peptides and their receptors. The workflow utilized here may be useful for studying other ligand-receptor interactions for a neuropeptide signaling system, particularly in protostomes.
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