1
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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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2
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Chan-Andersen PC, Romanova EV, Rubakhin SS, Sweedler JV. Profiling 26,000 Aplysia californica neurons by single cell mass spectrometry reveals neuronal populations with distinct neuropeptide profiles. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102254. [PMID: 35835221 PMCID: PMC9396074 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptides are a chemically diverse class of cell-to-cell signaling molecules that are widely expressed throughout the central nervous system, often in a cell-specific manner. While cell-to-cell differences in neuropeptides is expected, it is often unclear how exactly neuropeptide expression varies among neurons. Here we created a microscopy-guided, high-throughput single cell matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry approach to investigate the neuropeptide heterogeneity of individual neurons in the central nervous system of the neurobiological model Aplysia californica, the California sea hare. In all, we analyzed more than 26,000 neurons from 18 animals and assigned 866 peptides from 66 prohormones by mass matching against an in silico peptide library generated from known Aplysia prohormones retrieved from the UniProt database. Louvain-Jaccard (LJ) clustering of mass spectra from individual neurons revealed 40 unique neuronal populations, or LJ clusters, each with a distinct neuropeptide profile. Prohormones and their related peptides were generally found in single cells from ganglia consistent with the prohormones' previously known ganglion localizations. Several LJ clusters also revealed the cellular colocalization of behaviorally related prohormones, such as an LJ cluster exhibiting achatin and neuropeptide Y, which are involved in feeding, and another cluster characterized by urotensin II, small cardiac peptide, sensorin A, and FRFa, which have shown activity in the feeding network or are present in the feeding musculature. This mass spectrometry-based approach enables the robust categorization of large cell populations based on single cell neuropeptide content and is readily adaptable to the study of a range of animals and tissue types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter C Chan-Andersen
- Department of Chemistry and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Elena V Romanova
- Department of Chemistry and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Stanislav S Rubakhin
- Department of Chemistry and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Jonathan V Sweedler
- Department of Chemistry and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
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3
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Lee CA, Romanova EV, Southey BR, Gillette R, Sweedler JV. Comparative Analysis of Neuropeptides in Homologous Interneurons and Prohormone Annotation in Nudipleuran Sea Slugs. Front Physiol 2022; 12:809529. [PMID: 35002782 PMCID: PMC8735849 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.809529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite substantial research on neuronal circuits in nudipleuran gastropods, few peptides have been implicated in nudipleuran behavior. In this study, we expanded the understanding of peptides in this clade, using three species with well-studied nervous systems, Hermissenda crassicornis, Melibe leonina, and Pleurobranchaea californica. For each species, we performed sequence homology analysis of de novo transcriptome predictions to identify homologs to 34 of 36 prohormones previously characterized in the gastropods Aplysia californica and Lymnaea stagnalis. We then used single-cell mass spectrometry to characterize peptide profiles in homologous feeding interneurons: the multifunctional ventral white cell (VWC) in P. californica and the small cardioactive peptide B large buccal (SLB) cells in H. crassicornis and M. leonina. The neurons produced overlapping, but not identical, peptide profiles. The H. crassicornis SLB cells expressed peptides from homologs to the FMRFamide (FMRFa), small cardioactive peptide (SCP), LFRFamide (LFRFa), and feeding circuit activating peptides prohormones. The M. leonina SLB cells expressed peptides from homologs to the FMRFa, SCP, LFRFa, and MIP-related peptides prohormones. The VWC, previously shown to express peptides from the FMRFa and QNFLa (a homolog of A. californica pedal peptide 4) prohormones, was shown to also contain SCP peptides. Thus, each neuron expressed peptides from the FMRFa and SCP families, the H. crassicornis and M. leonina SLB cells expressed peptides from the LFRFa family, and each neuron contained peptides from a prohormone not found in the others. These data suggest each neuron performs complex co-transmission, which potentially facilitates a multifunctional role in feeding. Additionally, the unique feeding characteristics of each species may relate, in part, to differences in the peptide profiles of these neurons. These data add chemical insight to enhance our understanding of the neuronal basis of behavior in nudipleurans and other gastropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin A Lee
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Elena V Romanova
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Bruce R Southey
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Rhanor Gillette
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.,Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Jonathan V Sweedler
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
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4
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Mast DH, Liao HW, Romanova EV, Sweedler JV. Analysis of Peptide Stereochemistry in Single Cells by Capillary Electrophoresis-Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry Mass Spectrometry. Anal Chem 2021; 93:6205-6213. [PMID: 33825437 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c00445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Single cell analysis strives to probe molecular heterogeneity in morphologically similar cell populations through quantitative or qualitative measurements of genetic, proteomic, or metabolic products. Here, we applied mass analysis of single neurons to investigate cell-cell signaling peptides. The multiplicity of endogenous cell-cell signaling peptides is a common source of chemical diversity among cell populations. Certain peptides can undergo post-translational isomerization of select residues, which has important physiological consequences. The limited number of single cell analysis techniques that are sensitive to peptide stereochemistry make it challenging to study isomerization at the individual cell level. We performed capillary electrophoresis (CE) with mass spectrometry (MS) detection to characterize the peptide content of single cells. Using complementary trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS) separations, we measured the stereochemical configurations of three neuropeptide gene products derived from the pleurin precursor in individual neurons (N = 3) isolated from the central nervous system of Aplysia californica. An analysis of the resultant mobility profiles indicated >98% of the detectable pleurin-derived peptides exist as the nonisomerized, all-l forms in individual neuron cell bodies. However, we observed 44% of the Plrn2 peptide from the pleurin precursor was present as the isomerized, d-residue-containing form in the nerve tissue. These findings demonstrate an unusual distribution of isomerized peptides in A. californica and establish CE-TIMS MS as a powerful analytical tool for investigating peptide stereochemistry at the single cell level.
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Affiliation(s)
- David H Mast
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.,The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Hsiao-Wei Liao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.,Faculty of Pharmacy, National Yang-Ming University, No.155, Sec.2, Linong Street, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
| | - Elena V Romanova
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.,The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Jonathan V Sweedler
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.,The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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5
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De Oliveira AL, Calcino A, Wanninger A. Extensive conservation of the proneuropeptide and peptide prohormone complement in mollusks. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4846. [PMID: 30890731 PMCID: PMC6425005 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40949-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
As one of the most diverse groups of invertebrate animals, mollusks represent powerful models for neurobiological and developmental studies. Neuropeptides and peptide hormones are a heterogeneous class of signalling molecules involved in chemical communication between neurons and in neuroendocrine regulation. Here we present a fine-grained view of the molluscan neuropeptide and peptide hormone toolkit. Our results expand the distribution of several peptide families (e.g., prokineticin, insulin-related peptides, prohormone-4, LFRFamide) within Lophotrochozoa and provide evidence for an early origin of others (e.g., GNXQN/prohormone-2, neuroparsin). We identified a new peptide family broadly distributed among conchiferan mollusks, the PXRX family. We found the Wnt antagonist dickkopf1/2/4 ortholog in lophotrochozoans and nematodes and reveal that the egg-laying hormone family is a DH44 homolog restricted to gastropods. Our data demonstrate that numerous peptides evolved much earlier than previously assumed and that key signalling elements are extensively conserved among extant mollusks.
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Affiliation(s)
- A L De Oliveira
- Department of Integrative Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | - A Calcino
- Department of Integrative Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | - A Wanninger
- Department of Integrative Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, Vienna, 1090, Austria.
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6
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Zhang G, Yuan WD, Vilim FS, Romanova EV, Yu K, Yin SY, Le ZW, Xue YY, Chen TT, Chen GK, Chen SA, Cropper EC, Sweedler JV, Weiss KR, Jing J. Newly Identified Aplysia SPTR-Gene Family-Derived Peptides: Localization and Function. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018. [PMID: 29543430 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
When individual neurons in a circuit contain multiple neuropeptides, these peptides can target different sets of follower neurons. This endows the circuit with a certain degree of flexibility. Here we identified a novel family of peptides, the Aplysia SPTR-Gene Family-Derived peptides (apSPTR-GF-DPs). We demonstrated apSPTR-GF-DPs, particularly apSPTR-GF-DP2, are expressed in the Aplysia CNS using immunohistochemistry and MALDI-TOF MS. Furthermore, apSPTR-GF-DP2 is present in single projection neurons, e.g., in the cerebral-buccal interneuron-12 (CBI-12). Previous studies have demonstrated that CBI-12 contains two other peptides, FCAP/CP2. In addition, CBI-12 and CP2 promote shortening of the protraction phase of motor programs. Here, we demonstrate that FCAP shortens protraction. Moreover, we show that apSPTR-GF-DP2 also shortens protraction. Surprisingly, apSPTR-GF-DP2 does not increase the excitability of retraction interneuron B64. B64 terminates protraction and is modulated by FCAP/CP2 and CBI-12. Instead, we show that apSPTR-GF-DP2 and CBI-12 increase B20 excitability and B20 activity can shorten protraction. Taken together, these data indicate that different CBI-12 peptides target different sets of pattern-generating interneurons to exert similar modulatory actions. These findings provide the first definitive evidence for SPTR-GF's role in modulation of feeding, and a form of molecular degeneracy by multiple peptide cotransmitters in single identified neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210046, China
| | - Wang-ding Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210046, China
| | - Ferdinand S. Vilim
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Elena V. Romanova
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Ke Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210046, China
| | - Si-yuan Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210046, China
| | - Zi-wei Le
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210046, China
| | - Ying-yu Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210046, China
| | - Ting-ting Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210046, China
| | - Guo-kai Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210046, China
| | - Song-an Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210046, China
| | - Elizabeth C. Cropper
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Jonathan V. Sweedler
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Klaudiusz R. Weiss
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Jian Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210046, 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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7
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Cropper EC, Jing J, Vilim FS, Barry MA, Weiss KR. Multifaceted Expression of Peptidergic Modulation in the Feeding System of Aplysia. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018; 9:1917-1927. [PMID: 29309115 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptides are present in species throughout the animal kingdom and generally exert actions that are distinct from those of small molecule transmitters. It has, therefore, been of interest to define the unique behavioral role of this class of substances. Progress in this regard has been made in experimentally advantageous invertebrate preparations. We focus on one such system, the feeding circuit in the mollusc Aplysia. We review research conducted over several decades that played an important role in establishing that peptide cotransmitters are released under behaviorally relevant conditions. We describe how this was accomplished. For example, we describe techniques developed to purify novel peptides, localize them to identified neurons, and detect endogenous peptide release. We also describe physiological experiments that demonstrated that peptides are bioactive under behaviorally relevant conditions. The feeding system is like others in that peptides exert effects that are both convergent and divergent. Work in the feeding system clearly illustrates how this creates potential for behavioral flexibility. Finally, we discuss experiments that determined physiological consequences of one of the hallmark features of peptidergic modulation, its persistence. Research in the feeding system demonstrated that this persistence can change network state and play an important role in determining network output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth C. Cropper
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Jian Jing
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York 10029, United States
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
| | - Ferdinand S. Vilim
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Michael A. Barry
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Klaudiusz R. Weiss
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York 10029, United States
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8
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Zandawala M, Moghul I, Yañez Guerra LA, Delroisse J, Abylkassimova N, Hugall AF, O'Hara TD, Elphick MR. Discovery of novel representatives of bilaterian neuropeptide families and reconstruction of neuropeptide precursor evolution in ophiuroid echinoderms. Open Biol 2018; 7:rsob.170129. [PMID: 28878039 PMCID: PMC5627052 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.170129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptides are a diverse class of intercellular signalling molecules that mediate neuronal regulation of many physiological and behavioural processes. Recent advances in genome/transcriptome sequencing are enabling identification of neuropeptide precursor proteins in species from a growing variety of animal taxa, providing new insights into the evolution of neuropeptide signalling. Here, detailed analysis of transcriptome sequence data from three brittle star species, Ophionotus victoriae, Amphiura filiformis and Ophiopsila aranea, has enabled the first comprehensive identification of neuropeptide precursors in the class Ophiuroidea of the phylum Echinodermata. Representatives of over 30 bilaterian neuropeptide precursor families were identified, some of which occur as paralogues. Furthermore, homologues of endothelin/CCHamide, eclosion hormone, neuropeptide-F/Y and nucleobinin/nesfatin were discovered here in a deuterostome/echinoderm for the first time. The majority of ophiuroid neuropeptide precursors contain a single copy of a neuropeptide, but several precursors comprise multiple copies of identical or non-identical, but structurally related, neuropeptides. Here, we performed an unprecedented investigation of the evolution of neuropeptide copy number over a period of approximately 270 Myr by analysing sequence data from over 50 ophiuroid species, with reference to a robust phylogeny. Our analysis indicates that the composition of neuropeptide ‘cocktails’ is functionally important, but with plasticity over long evolutionary time scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meet Zandawala
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Ismail Moghul
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Luis Alfonso Yañez Guerra
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Jérôme Delroisse
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Nikara Abylkassimova
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Andrew F Hugall
- Museums Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
| | - Timothy D O'Hara
- Museums Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
| | - Maurice R Elphick
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
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9
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Abstract
Metabolomics, the characterization of metabolites and their changes within biological systems, has seen great technological and methodological progress over the past decade. Most metabolomic experiments involve the characterization of the small-molecule content of fluids or tissue homogenates. While these microliter and larger volume metabolomic measurements can characterize hundreds to thousands of compounds, the coverage of molecular content decreases as sample sizes are reduced to the nanoliter and even to the picoliter volume range. Recent progress has enabled the ability to characterize the major molecules found within specific individual cells. Especially within the brain, a myriad of cell types are colocalized, and oftentimes only a subset of these cells undergo changes in both healthy and pathological states. Here we highlight recent progress in mass spectrometry-based approaches used for single cell metabolomics, emphasizing their application to neuroscience research. Single cell studies can be directed to measuring differences between members of populations of similar cells (e.g., oligodendrocytes), as well as characterizing differences between cell types (e.g., neurons and astrocytes), and are especially useful for measuring changes occurring during different behavior states, exposure to diets and drugs, neuronal activity, and disease. When combined with other omics approaches such as transcriptomics, and with morphological and physiological measurements, single cell metabolomics aids fundamental neurochemical studies, has great potential in pharmaceutical development, and should improve the diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Qi
- Department of Chemistry and the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Marina C Philip
- Department of Chemistry and the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Ning Yang
- Department of Chemistry and the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Jonathan V Sweedler
- Department of Chemistry and the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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10
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Zhang G, Vilim FS, Liu DD, Romanova EV, Yu K, Yuan WD, Xiao H, Hummon AB, Chen TT, Alexeeva V, Yin SY, Chen SA, Cropper EC, Sweedler JV, Weiss KR, Jing J. Discovery of leucokinin-like neuropeptides that modulate a specific parameter of feeding motor programs in the molluscan model, Aplysia. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:18775-18789. [PMID: 28924050 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.795450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2017] [Revised: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A better understanding of neuromodulation in a behavioral system requires identification of active modulatory transmitters. Here, we used identifiable neurons in a neurobiological model system, the mollusc Aplysia, to study neuropeptides, a diverse class of neuromodulators. We took advantage of two types of feeding neurons, B48 and B1/B2, in the Aplysia buccal ganglion that might contain different neuropeptides. We performed a representational difference analysis (RDA) by subtraction of mRNAs in B48 versus mRNAs in B1/B2. The RDA identified an unusually long (2025 amino acids) peptide precursor encoding Aplysia leucokinin-like peptides (ALKs; e.g. ALK-1 and ALK-2). Northern blot analysis revealed that, compared with other ganglia (e.g. the pedal-pleural ganglion), ALK mRNA is predominantly present in the buccal ganglion, which controls feeding behavior. We then used in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry to localize ALKs to specific neurons, including B48. MALDI-TOF MS on single buccal neurons revealed expression of 40 ALK precursor-derived peptides. Among these, ALK-1 and ALK-2 are active in the feeding network; they shortened the radula protraction phase of feeding motor programs triggered by a command-like neuron. We also found that this effect may be mediated by the ALK-stimulated enhancement of activity of an interneuron, which has previously been shown to terminate protraction. We conclude that our multipronged approach is effective for determining the structure and defining the diverse functions of leucokinin-like peptides. Notably, the ALK precursor is the first verified nonarthropod precursor for leucokinin-like peptides with a novel, marked modulatory effect on a specific parameter (protraction duration) of feeding motor programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo Zhang
- From the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Ferdinand S Vilim
- the Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, and
| | - Dan-Dan Liu
- From the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Elena V Romanova
- the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801
| | - Ke Yu
- From the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Wang-Ding Yuan
- From the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Hui Xiao
- From the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Amanda B Hummon
- the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801
| | - Ting-Ting Chen
- From the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Vera Alexeeva
- the Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, and
| | - Si-Yuan Yin
- From the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Song-An Chen
- From the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Elizabeth C Cropper
- the Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, and
| | - Jonathan V Sweedler
- the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801
| | - Klaudiusz R Weiss
- the Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, and
| | - Jian Jing
- From the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China, .,the Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, and
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Martinez-Pereira MA, Franceschi RDC, Coelho BP, Zancan DM. The Stomatogastric and Enteric Nervous System of the Pulmonate SnailMegalobulimus abbreviatus: A Neurochemical Analysis. Zoolog Sci 2017; 34:300-311. [DOI: 10.2108/zs160136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Malcon Andrei Martinez-Pereira
- Center of Rural Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, 89.520-000, Curitibanos, SC, Brazil
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Institute of Basic Health Sciences (ICBS), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Laboratory of Comparative Neurobiology, Department of Physiology, ICBS, UFRGS, 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Raphaela da Cunha Franceschi
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Institute of Basic Health Sciences (ICBS), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Laboratory of Comparative Neurobiology, Department of Physiology, ICBS, UFRGS, 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Bárbara Paranhos Coelho
- Laboratory of Comparative Neurobiology, Department of Physiology, ICBS, UFRGS, 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Denise M. Zancan
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Institute of Basic Health Sciences (ICBS), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Laboratory of Comparative Neurobiology, Department of Physiology, ICBS, UFRGS, 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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12
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Ahn SJ, Martin R, Rao S, Choi MY. Neuropeptides predicted from the transcriptome analysis of the gray garden slug Deroceras reticulatum. Peptides 2017; 93:51-65. [PMID: 28502716 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2017.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2017] [Revised: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The gray garden slug, Deroceras reticulatum (Gastropoda: Pulmonata), is one of the most common terrestrial molluscs. Research for this slug has focused mainly on its ecology, biology, and management due to the severe damage it causes on a wide range of vegetables and field crops. However, little is known about neuropeptides and hormonal signalings. This study, therefore, aimed to establish the transcriptome of D. reticulatum and to identify a comprehensive repertoire of neuropeptides in this slug. Illumina high-throughput sequencing of the whole body transcriptome of D. reticulatum generated a total of 5.9 billion raw paired-end reads. De novo assembly by Trinity resulted in 143,575 transcripts and further filtration selected 120,553 unigenes. Gene Ontology (GO) terms were assigned to 30,588 unigenes, composed of biological processes (36.9%), cellular components (30.2%) and molecular functions (32.9%). Functional annotation by BLASTx revealed 39,987 unigenes with hits, which were further categorized into important functional groups based on sequence abundance. Neuropeptides, ion channels, ribosomal proteins, G protein-coupled receptors, detoxification, immunity and cytoskeleton-related sequences were dominant among the transcripts. BLAST searches and PCR amplification were used to identify 65 putative neuropeptide precursor genes from the D. reticulatum transcriptome, which include achatin, AKH, allatostatin A, B and C, allatotropin, APGWamide, CCAP, cerebrin, conopressin, cysteine-knot protein hormones (bursicon alpha/beta and GPA2/GPB5), elevenin, FCAP, FFamide, FVamide (enterin, fulicin, MIP and PRQFVamide), GGNG, GnRH, insulin, NdWFamide, NKY, PKYMDT, PRXamide (myomodulin, pleurin and sCAP), RFamide (CCK/SK, FMRFamide, FxRIamide, LFRFamide, luqin and NPF), and tachykinin. Over 330 putative peptides were encoded by these precursors. Comparative analysis among different molluscan species clearly revealed that, while D. reticulatum neuropeptide sequences are conserved in Mollusca, there are also some unique features distinct from other members of this species. This is the first transcriptome-wide report of neuropeptides in terrestrial slugs. Our results provide comprehensive transcriptome data of the gray garden slug, with a more detailed focus on the rich repertoire of putative neuropeptide sequences, laying the foundation for molecular studies in this terrestrial slug pest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung-Joon Ahn
- USDA-ARS Horticultural Crops Research Unit,3420 NW Orchard Avenue, Corvallis, OR, 97330, USA; Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Ruth Martin
- USDA-ARS Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit, 3450 SW Campus Way, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Sujaya Rao
- Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Man-Yeon Choi
- USDA-ARS Horticultural Crops Research Unit,3420 NW Orchard Avenue, Corvallis, OR, 97330, USA.
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Kumar D, Mains RE, Eipper BA. 60 YEARS OF POMC: From POMC and α-MSH to PAM, molecular oxygen, copper, and vitamin C. J Mol Endocrinol 2016; 56:T63-76. [PMID: 26667899 PMCID: PMC4899100 DOI: 10.1530/jme-15-0266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
A critical role for peptide C-terminal amidation was apparent when the first bioactive peptides were identified. The conversion of POMC into adrenocorticotropic hormone and then into α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, an amidated peptide, provided a model system for identifying the amidating enzyme. Peptidylglycine α-amidating monooxygenase (PAM), the only enzyme that catalyzes this modification, is essential; mice lacking PAM survive only until mid-gestation. Purification and cloning led to the discovery that the amidation of peptidylglycine substrates proceeds in two steps: peptidylglycine α-hydroxylating monooxygenase catalyzes the copper- and ascorbate-dependent α-hydroxylation of the peptidylglycine substrate; peptidyl-α-hydroxyglycine α-amidating lyase cleaves the N-C bond, producing amidated product and glyoxylate. Both enzymes are contained in the luminal domain of PAM, a type 1 integral membrane protein. The structures of both catalytic cores have been determined, revealing how they interact with metals, molecular oxygen, and substrate to catalyze both reactions. Although not essential for activity, the intrinsically disordered cytosolic domain is essential for PAM trafficking. A phylogenetic survey led to the identification of bifunctional membrane PAM in Chlamydomonas, a unicellular eukaryote. Accumulating evidence points to a role for PAM in copper homeostasis and in retrograde signaling from the lumen of the secretory pathway to the nucleus. The discovery of PAM in cilia, cellular antennae that sense and respond to environmental stimuli, suggests that much remains to be learned about this ancient protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhivya Kumar
- Departments of Molecular Biology and BiophysicsUniversity of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Richard E Mains
- Department of NeuroscienceUniversity of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Betty A Eipper
- Departments of Molecular Biology and BiophysicsUniversity of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA Department of NeuroscienceUniversity of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
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14
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Elphick MR. SALMFamide salmagundi: the biology of a neuropeptide family in echinoderms. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 205:23-35. [PMID: 24583124 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2013] [Revised: 02/14/2014] [Accepted: 02/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The SALMFamides are a family of neuropeptides that occur in species belonging to the phylum Echinodermata. The prototypes for this neuropeptide family (S1 and S2) were discovered in starfish but subsequently SALMFamides were identified in other echinoderms. There are two types of SALMFamides: L-type, which have the C-terminal motif SxLxFamide, and F-type, which have the C-terminal motif SxFxFamide. They are derived from two types of precursor proteins: an L-type SALMFamide precursor, which comprises only L-type or L-type-like SALMFamides and an F-type SALMFamide precursor, which contains several F-type or F-type-like SALMFamides and, typically, one or more L-type SALMFamides. Thus, SALMFamides occur as heterogeneous mixtures of neuropeptides - a SALMFamide salmagundi. SALMFamides are produced by distinct populations of neurons in echinoderm larval and adult nervous systems and are present in the innervation of neuromuscular organs. Both L-type and F-type SALMFamides cause muscle relaxation in echinoderms and, for example, in starfish this effect of SALMFamides may mediate neural control of cardiac stomach eversion in species that feed extra-orally (e.g., Asterias rubens). The SALMFamide S1 also causes inhibition of neural release of a relaxin-like gonadotropin in the starfish Asterina pectinifera. An important issue that remains to be resolved are the relationships of SALMFamides with neuropeptides that have been identified in other phyla. However, it has been noted that the C-terminal SxLxFamide motif of L-type SALMFamides is a feature of some members of a bilaterian neuropeptide family that includes gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) in vertebrates and SIFamide-type neuropeptides in protostomes. Similarly, the C-terminal FxFamide motif of F-type SALMFamides is a feature of vertebrate QRFP (26RFa)-type neuropeptides. These sequence similarities may provide a basis for molecular identification of receptors that mediate effects of SALMFamides. Furthermore, analysis of the actions of the heterogeneous mixtures of SALMFamides that occur in echinoderms may provide new insights into the physiological significance of the general phenomenon of precursor proteins that give rise to neuropeptide "cocktails".
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurice R Elphick
- Queen Mary University of London, School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK.
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15
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Bai L, Livnat I, Romanova EV, Alexeeva V, Yau PM, Vilim FS, Weiss KR, Jing J, Sweedler JV. Characterization of GdFFD, a D-amino acid-containing neuropeptide that functions as an extrinsic modulator of the Aplysia feeding circuit. J Biol Chem 2013; 288:32837-51. [PMID: 24078634 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m113.486670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
During eukaryotic translation, peptides/proteins are created using L-amino acids. However, a D-amino acid-containing peptide (DAACP) can be produced through post-translational modification via an isomerase enzyme. General approaches to identify novel DAACPs and investigate their function, particularly in specific neural circuits, are lacking. This is primarily due to the difficulty in characterizing this modification and due to the limited information on neural circuits in most species. We describe a multipronged approach to overcome these limitations using the sea slug Aplysia californica. Based on bioinformatics and homology to known DAACPs in the land snail Achatina fulica, we targeted two predicted peptides in Aplysia, GFFD, similar to achatin-I (GdFAD versus GFAD, where dF stands for D-phenylalanine), and YAEFLa, identical to fulyal (YdAEFLa versus YAEFLa), using stereoselective analytical methods, i.e. MALDI MS fragmentation analysis and LC-MS/MS. Although YAEFLa in Aplysia was detected only in an all L-form, we found that both GFFD and GdFFD were present in the Aplysia CNS. In situ hybridization and immunolabeling of GFFD/GdFFD-positive neurons and fibers suggested that GFFD/GdFFD might act as an extrinsic modulator of the feeding circuit. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that GdFFD induced robust activity in the feeding circuit and elicited egestive motor patterns. In contrast, the peptide consisting of all L-amino acids, GFFD, was not bioactive. Our data indicate that the modification of an L-amino acid-containing neuropeptide to a DAACP is essential for peptide bioactivity in a motor circuit, and thus it provides a functional significance to this modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Bai
- From the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801
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16
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Martinez-Pereira MA, Franceschi RDC, Antunes GDF, Coelho BP, Achaval M, Zancan DM. General Morphology and Innervation of the Midgut and Hindgut ofMegalobulimus abbreviatus(Gastropoda, Pulmonata). Zoolog Sci 2013; 30:319-30. [DOI: 10.2108/zsj.30.319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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17
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Morishita F, Furukawa Y, Matsushima O. Molecular cloning of two distinct precursor genes of NdWFamide, a d-tryptophan-containing neuropeptide of the sea hare, Aplysia kurodai. Peptides 2012; 38:291-301. [PMID: 23000476 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2012.08.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2012] [Revised: 08/22/2012] [Accepted: 08/22/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
NdWFamide (NdWFa) is a D-tryptophan-containing cardioexcitatory neuropeptide in gastropod mollusks, such as Aplysia kurodai and Lymanea stagnalis. In this study, we have cloned two cDNA encoding distinct precursors for NdWFa from the abdominal ganglion of A. kurodai. One of the predicted precursor proteins consisted of 90 amino acids (NWF90), and the other consisted of 87 amino acids (NWF87). Both of the predicted precursor proteins have one NWFGKR sequence preceded by the N-terminal signal peptide. Sequential double staining by in situ hybridization (ISH) and immunostaining with anti-NdWFa antibody suggested that NdWFa-precursor and NdWFa peptide co-exist in neurons located in the right-upper quadrant region of the abdominal ganglion. In ISH, NWF90-specific signal and NWF87-specific one were found in different subsets of neurons in the abdominal ganglia of Aplysia. The expression level of NWF90 gene estimated by RT-PCR is much higher than that of NWF87 gene. These results suggest that NWF90 precursor is the major source of NdWFa in Aplysia ganglia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumihiro Morishita
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan.
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18
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Larsen MJ, Lancheros ER, Williams T, Lowery DE, Geary TG, Kubiak TM. Functional expression and characterization of the C. elegans G-protein-coupled FLP-2 Receptor (T19F4.1) in mammalian cells and yeast. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2012; 3:1-7. [PMID: 24533288 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2012.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2012] [Revised: 10/25/2012] [Accepted: 10/29/2012] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Profound neuropeptide diversity characterizes the nematode nervous system, but it has proven challenging to match neuropeptide G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) with their cognate ligands in heterologous systems. We have expressed the Caenorhabditis elegans GPCR encoded in the locus T19F4.1, previously matched with FMRFamide-like peptides encoded on the flp-2 precursor gene, in mammalian cells and in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Pharmacological characterization revealed that the receptor is potently activated by flp-2 peptides in CHO cells (∼10 nM EC50) and in yeast (∼100 nM EC50), signaling through a Gqα pathway in each system. The yeast GPCR expression system provides a robust assay for screening for agonists of the flp-2 receptor and is the target of an ongoing high-throughput screening exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha J Larsen
- Pfizer Animal Health Discovery Research, Veterinary Medicine Discovery Research, Kalamazoo, MI 49001, USA
| | - Elizabeth Ruiz Lancheros
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada H9X 3V9
| | - Tracey Williams
- Pfizer Animal Health Discovery Research, Veterinary Medicine Discovery Research, Kalamazoo, MI 49001, USA
| | - David E Lowery
- Pfizer Animal Health Discovery Research, Veterinary Medicine Discovery Research, Kalamazoo, MI 49001, USA
| | - Timothy G Geary
- Pfizer Animal Health Discovery Research, Veterinary Medicine Discovery Research, Kalamazoo, MI 49001, USA
| | - Teresa M Kubiak
- Pfizer Animal Health Discovery Research, Veterinary Medicine Discovery Research, Kalamazoo, MI 49001, USA
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19
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Kiss T. Diversity and abundance: the basic properties of neuropeptide action in molluscs. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2011; 172:10-4. [PMID: 21354159 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2011.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2010] [Revised: 02/10/2011] [Accepted: 02/20/2011] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Neuropeptides, the most diverse group of signaling molecules, are responsible for regulating a variety of cellular and behavioral processes in all vertebrate and invertebrate animals. The role played by peptide signals in information processing is fundamentally different from that of conventional neurotransmitters. Neuropeptides may act as neurotransmitters or neuromodulators and are released at either synaptic or non-synaptic sites. Peptide signals control developmental processes, drive specific behaviors or contribute to the mechanisms of learning and memory storage. Co-transmission within or across peptide families, and between peptide and non-peptide signaling molecules, is common; this ensures the great versatility of their action. How these tasks are fulfilled when multiple neuropeptides are released has become an important topic for peptide research. Although our knowledge concerning the physiological and behavioral roles of most of the neuropeptides isolated from molluscs is incomplete, this article provides examples to address the complexity of peptide signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tibor Kiss
- Group of Comparative Neurobiology, Department of Experimental Zoology, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, HAS, Tihany, Hungary.
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20
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Wang L, Ota N, Romanova EV, Sweedler JV. A novel pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent amino acid racemase in the Aplysia californica central nervous system. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:13765-74. [PMID: 21343289 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m110.178228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
D-aspartate (D-Asp) is found in specific neurons, transported to neuronal terminals and released in a stimulation-dependent manner. Because D-Asp formation is not well understood, determining its function has proved challenging. Significant levels of D-Asp are present in the cerebral ganglion of the F- and C-clusters of the invertebrate Aplysia californica, and D-Asp appears to be involved in cell-cell communication in this system. Here, we describe a novel protein, DAR1, from A. californica that can convert aspartate and serine to their other chiral form in a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent manner. DAR1 has a predicted length of 325 amino acids and is 55% identical to the bivalve aspartate racemase, EC 5.1.1.13, and 41% identical to the mammalian serine racemase, EC 5.1.1.18. However, it is only 14% identical to the recently reported mammalian aspartate racemase, DR, which is closely related to glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase, EC 2.6.1.1. Using whole-mount immunohistochemistry staining of the A. californica central nervous system, we localized DAR1-like immunoreactivity to the medial region of the cerebral ganglion where the F- and C-clusters are situated. The biochemical and functional similarities between DAR1 and other animal serine and aspartate racemases make it valuable for examining PLP-dependent racemases, promising to increase our knowledge of enzyme regulation and ultimately, D-serine and D-Asp signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Wang
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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21
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Choi SL, Lee YS, Rim YS, Kim TH, Moroz LL, Kandel ER, Bhak J, Kaang BK. Differential evolutionary rates of neuronal transcriptome in Aplysia kurodai and Aplysia californica as a tool for gene mining. J Neurogenet 2011; 24:75-82. [PMID: 20536287 DOI: 10.3109/01677061003770614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The marine mollusk Aplysia is a fascinating model organism for studying molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory. However, evolutionary studies about Aplysia have been limited by the lack of its genomic information. Recently, large-scale expressed sequence tag (EST) databases have been acquired by sequencing cDNA libraries from A. californica and A. kurodai. The closeness between the two species allowed us to investigate rapidly evolving genes by comparing their orthologs. Using this method, we found that a subset of signal transduction genes in neurons showed rates of protein evolution higher than those of housekeeping genes. Moreover, we were also able to find several candidate genes that may be involved in learning and memory or synaptic plasticity among genes showing relatively higher K(a)/K(s) ratios. We also investigated the relationship between evolutionary rates and tissue distribution of Aplysia genes. They propose that the estimation of evolutionary rates cannot be a good marker to assess neuronal expression; however, it still can be an efficient way to narrow down the pool of candidate genes involved in neuronal functions for the further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sun-Lim Choi
- National Creative Research Initiative Center for Memory and Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Bldg 504, Rm 202, 599 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-747, Korea
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22
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Morishita F, Furukawa Y, Matsushima O, Minakata H. Regulatory actions of neuropeptides and peptide hormones on the reproduction of molluscsThe present review is one of a series of occasional review articles that have been invited by the Editors and will feature the broad range of disciplines and expertise represented in our Editorial Advisory Board. CAN J ZOOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1139/z10-041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Reproductive success of individual animals is essential for the survival of any species. Molluscs have adapted to a wide variety of environments (freshwater, brackish water, seawater, and terrestrial habits) and have evolved unique tactics for reproduction. Both of these features attract the academic interests of scientists. Because neuropeptides and peptide hormones play critical roles in neural and neurohormonal regulation of physiological functions and behaviors in this animal group, the regulatory actions of these messengers in reproduction have been extensively investigated. In this review, we will briefly summarize how peptidergic messengers are involved in various aspects of reproduction, using some peptides such as egg-laying hormone, caudo-dorsal cell hormone, APGWamide, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone as typical examples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumihiro Morishita
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan
- Department of Global Environment Studies, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, 2-1-1 Miyake, Saeki-ku, Hiroshima 731-5193, Japan
- Suntory Institute for Bioorganic Research, 1-1-1 Wakayamadai, Shimamoto, Mishima, Osaka 618-8503, Japan
| | - Yasuo Furukawa
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan
- Department of Global Environment Studies, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, 2-1-1 Miyake, Saeki-ku, Hiroshima 731-5193, Japan
- Suntory Institute for Bioorganic Research, 1-1-1 Wakayamadai, Shimamoto, Mishima, Osaka 618-8503, Japan
| | - Osamu Matsushima
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan
- Department of Global Environment Studies, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, 2-1-1 Miyake, Saeki-ku, Hiroshima 731-5193, Japan
- Suntory Institute for Bioorganic Research, 1-1-1 Wakayamadai, Shimamoto, Mishima, Osaka 618-8503, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Minakata
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan
- Department of Global Environment Studies, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, 2-1-1 Miyake, Saeki-ku, Hiroshima 731-5193, Japan
- Suntory Institute for Bioorganic Research, 1-1-1 Wakayamadai, Shimamoto, Mishima, Osaka 618-8503, Japan
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Brezina V. Beyond the wiring diagram: signalling through complex neuromodulator networks. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2010; 365:2363-74. [PMID: 20603357 PMCID: PMC2894954 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2010.0105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
During the computations performed by the nervous system, its 'wiring diagram'--the map of its neurons and synaptic connections--is dynamically modified and supplemented by multiple actions of neuromodulators that can be so complex that they can be thought of as constituting a biochemical network that combines with the neuronal network to perform the computation. Thus, the neuronal wiring diagram alone is not sufficient to specify, and permit us to understand, the computation that underlies behaviour. Here I review how such modulatory networks operate, the problems that their existence poses for the experimental study and conceptual understanding of the computations performed by the nervous system, and how these problems may perhaps be solved and the computations understood by considering the structural and functional 'logic' of the modulatory networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Brezina
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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24
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Aseyev N, Zakharov IS, Balaban PM. Morphology of neuropeptide CNP2 modulation of heart activity in terrestrial snail. Peptides 2010; 31:1301-8. [PMID: 20399241 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2010.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2009] [Revised: 04/06/2010] [Accepted: 04/06/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A family of neuropeptides called Command Neuron Peptides (CNPs) was described ten years ago as the protein products of the gene HCS2, specifically expressed in the identified interneurons of the nervous system of terrestrial snail (Helix lucorum L. and H. pomatia L.). Recently, the CNP-like peptides have been detected by immunochemistry and immunoblotting in nervous systems of representatives of different invertebrate phyla (Mollusca, Annelida, and Insecta). Still, the function of these peptides remains largely unknown. In Helix it is shown that CNPs: modulate the electrical activity of unidentified central neurons, modulate the pneumostome motoneurons, stimulate neural cones growth in neural cultures. Here, we describe for the first time the CNPs-immunoreactive neural fibers in walls of both auricle and ventricle of the snail heart. We show that application of the synthetic neuropeptide CNP2 (DYPRLamide) in perfusion saline affects heart rate and magnitude of beats in isolated snail heart. The results suggest that in Helix the Command Neuron Peptides could participate in neural modulation of cardiovascular system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay Aseyev
- Laboratory of Cellular Neurobiology of Learning, Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, RAS, Butlerova 5A, 117485 Moscow, Russia.
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25
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Wu JS, Vilim FS, Hatcher NG, Due MR, Sweedler JV, Weiss KR, Jing J. Composite modulatory feedforward loop contributes to the establishment of a network state. J Neurophysiol 2010; 103:2174-84. [PMID: 20181731 DOI: 10.1152/jn.01054.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Feedforward loops (FFLs) are one of many network motifs identified in a variety of complex networks, but their functional role in neural networks is not well understood. We provide evidence that combinatorial actions of multiple modulators may be organized as FFLs to promote a specific network state in the Aplysia feeding motor network. The Aplysia feeding central pattern generator (CPG) receives two distinct inputs-a higher-order interneuron cerebral-buccal interneuron-2 (CBI-2) and the esophageal nerve (EN)-that promote ingestive and egestive motor programs, respectively. EN stimulation elicits a persistent egestive network state, which enables the network to temporarily express egestive programs following a switch of input from the EN to CBI-2. Previous work showed that a modulatory CPG element, B65, is specifically activated by the EN and participates in establishing the egestive state by enhancing activity of egestion-promoting B20 interneurons while suppressing activity and synaptic outputs of ingestion-promoting B40 interneurons. Here a peptidergic contribution is mediated by small cardioactive peptide (SCP). Immunostaining and mass spectrometry show that SCP is present in the EN and is released on EN stimulation. Importantly, SCP directly enhances activity and synaptic outputs of B20 and suppresses activity and synaptic outputs of B40. Moreover, SCP promotes B65 activity. Thus the direct and indirect (through B65) pathways to B20 and B40 from SCPergic neurons constitute two FFLs with one functioning to promote egestive output and the other to suppress ingestive output. This composite FFL consisting of the two combined FFLs appears to be an effective means to co-regulate activity of two competing elements that do not inhibit each other, thereby contributing to establish specific network states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Sheng Wu
- Dept. of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA
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26
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Martínez-Rubio C, Serrano GE, Miller MW. Localization of biogenic amines in the foregut of Aplysia californica: catecholaminergic and serotonergic innervation. J Comp Neurol 2009; 514:329-42. [PMID: 19330814 PMCID: PMC4023389 DOI: 10.1002/cne.21991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the catecholaminergic and serotonergic innervation of the foregut of Aplysia californica, a model system in which the control of feeding behaviors can be investigated at the cellular level. Similar numbers (15-25) of serotonin-like-immunoreactive (5HTli) and tyrosine hydroxylase-like-immunoreactive (THli) fibers were present in each (bilateral) esophageal nerve (En), the major source of pregastric neural innervation in this system. The majority of En 5HTli and THli fibers originated from the anterior branch (En(2)), which innervates the pharynx and the anterior esophagus. Fewer fibers were present in the posterior branch (En(1)), which innervates the majority of the esophagus and the crop. Backfills of the two En branches toward the central nervous system (CNS) labeled a single, centrifugally projecting serotonergic fiber, originating from the metacerebral cell (MCC). The MCC fiber projected only to En(2). No central THli neurons were found to project to the En. Surveys of the pharynx and esophagus revealed major differences between their patterns of catecholaminergic (CA) and serotonergic innervation. Whereas THli fibers and cell bodies were distributed throughout the foregut, 5HTli fibers were present in restricted plexi, and no 5HTli somata were detected. Double-labeling experiments in the periphery revealed THli neurons projecting toward the buccal ganglion via En(2). Other afferents received dense perisomatic serotonergic innervation. Finally, qualitative and quantitative differences were observed between the buccal motor programs (BMPs) produced by stimulation of the two En branches. These observations increase our understanding of aminergic contributions to the pregastric regulation of Aplysia feeding behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa Martínez-Rubio
- Institute of Neurobiology and Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology,
University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
00901
| | - Geidy E. Serrano
- Institute of Neurobiology and Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology,
University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
00901
| | - Mark W. Miller
- Institute of Neurobiology and Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology,
University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
00901
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27
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Essawy AE, Abdelmeguied NE, Radwan MA, Hamed SS, Hegazy AE. Neuropathological effect of carbamate molluscicides on the land snail, Eobania vermiculata. Cell Biol Toxicol 2008; 25:275-90. [DOI: 10.1007/s10565-008-9077-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2007] [Accepted: 04/11/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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28
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Li L, Sweedler JV. Peptides in the brain: mass spectrometry-based measurement approaches and challenges. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (PALO ALTO, CALIF.) 2008; 1:451-483. [PMID: 20636086 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.anchem.1.031207.113053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The function and activity of almost every circuit in the human brain are modified by the signaling peptides (SPs) surrounding the neurons. As the complement of peptides can vary even in adjacent neurons and their physiological actions can occur over a broad range of concentrations, the required figures of merit for techniques to characterize SPs are surprisingly stringent. In this review, we describe the formation and catabolism of SPs and highlight a range of mass spectrometric techniques used to characterize SPs. Approaches that supply high chemical information content, direct tissue profiling, spatially resolved data, and temporal information on peptide release are also described. Because of advances in measurement technologies, our knowledge of SPs has greatly increased over the last decade, and SP discoveries will continue as the capabilities of modern measurement approaches improve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingjun Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 53705-2222, USA.
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29
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Ito S, Kurokawa M. Coordinated Peripheral Neuronal Activities Among the Different Regions of the Digestive Tract in Aplysia. Zoolog Sci 2007; 24:714-22. [PMID: 17824779 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.24.714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2006] [Accepted: 01/27/2007] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Peripheral neuronal somata are scattered throughout the enteric nervous system (ENS) in Aplysia. We found that somata on the outer surface of the digestive tract were more densely distributed on the stomatogastric ring and the posterior gizzard than on other regions. In preparations with or without the central nervous system, two types of synchronous bursting activity were recorded from the nerves of the ENS. Some of the synchronous bursts were recorded from nerves on the crop and stomatogastric ring, whereas others were recorded from nerves on the crop, stomatogastric ring, and gizzard. Experiments using preparations in which the different regions were separated suggested that the former bursts originated in neurons on the crop and the latter originated in neurons on the gizzard. Axonal projections of neurons on the different regions were examined by backfilling and analysis of the direction of impulse conduction. Blocking chemical synapses in separated gizzards depressed EPSP-like potentials and eliminated the bursting activities. When chemical synapses on the crop and stomatogastric ring but not on the gizzard were blocked in a whole digestive tract preparation, bursting activity recorded from nerves on all the regions was decreased, although the frequency of the bursting rhythm did not change. Stimulation of a neuron on the crop elicited bursts in nerves on the gizzard. These results suggest that chemical synaptic connections and a feedback loop along the digestive tract coordinate the synchrony of bursting activity originating in the gizzard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin Ito
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
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30
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Gupta A, Décaillot FM, Gomes I, Tkalych O, Heimann AS, Ferro ES, Devi LA. Conformation state-sensitive antibodies to G-protein-coupled receptors. J Biol Chem 2006; 282:5116-24. [PMID: 17148456 PMCID: PMC3856726 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m609254200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of evidence indicates that G-protein-coupled receptors undergo complex conformational changes upon agonist activation. It is likely that the extracellular region, including the N terminus, undergoes activation-dependent conformational changes. We examined this by generating antibodies to regions within the N terminus of micro-opioid receptors. We find that antibodies to the midportion of the N-terminal tail exhibit enhanced recognition of activated receptors, whereas those to the distal regions do not. The enhanced recognition is abolished upon treatment with agents that block G-protein coupling or deglycosylate the receptor. This suggests that the N-terminal region of mu receptors undergoes conformational changes following receptor activation that can be selectively detected by these region-specific antibodies. We used these antibodies to characterize micro receptor type-specific ligands and find that the antibodies accurately differentiate ligands with varying efficacies. Next, we examined if these antibodies can be used to investigate the extent and duration of activation of endogenous receptors. We find that peripheral morphine administration leads to a time-dependent increase in antibody binding in the striatum and prefrontal cortex with a peak at about 30 min, indicating that these antibodies can be used to probe the spatio-temporal dynamics of native mu receptors. Finally, we show that this strategy of targeting the N-terminal region to generate receptor conformation-specific antisera can be applied to other G(alpha)(i)-coupled (delta-opioid, CB1 cannabinoid, alpha(2A)-adrenergic) as well as G(alpha)(s)-(beta(2)-adrenergic) and G(alpha)(q)-coupled (AT1 angiotensin) receptors. Taken together, these studies describe antisera as tools that allow, for the first time, studies probing differential conformation states of G-protein-coupled receptors, which could be used to identify molecules of therapeutic interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achla Gupta
- Department of Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029
| | - Fabien M. Décaillot
- Department of Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029
| | - Ivone Gomes
- Department of Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029
| | - Oleg Tkalych
- Department of Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029
| | - Andrea S. Heimann
- Proteimax S/C, Via das Margaridas 413, 06700-020 Cotia, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Emer S. Ferro
- Department of Cell Biology and Development, University of São Paulo, 05504-900 São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lakshmi A. Devi
- Department of Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029
- To whom correspondence should be addressed: Dept. of Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 19-84 Annenberg Bldg., One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029. Tel.: 212-241-8345; Fax: 212-996-7214;
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31
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Hummon AB, Amare A, Sweedler JV. Discovering new invertebrate neuropeptides using mass spectrometry. MASS SPECTROMETRY REVIEWS 2006; 25:77-98. [PMID: 15937922 DOI: 10.1002/mas.20055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Neuropeptides are a complex set of messenger molecules controlling a wide array of regulatory functions and behaviors within an organism. These neuromodulators are cleaved from longer protein molecules and often experience numerous post-translational modifications to achieve their bioactive form. As a result of this complexity, sensitive and versatile analysis schemes are needed to characterize neuropeptides. Mass spectrometry (MS) through a variety of approaches has fueled the discovery of hundreds of neuropeptides in invertebrate species in the last decade. Particularly successful are direct tissue and single neuron analyses by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) MS, which has been used to elucidate approximately 440 neuropeptides, and examination of neuronal homogenates by electrospray ionization techniques (ESI), also leading to the characterization of over 450 peptides. Additional MS methods with great promise for the discovery of neuropeptides are MS imaging and large-scale peptidomics studies in combination with a sequenced genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda B Hummon
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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32
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Billimoria CP, Li L, Marder E. Profiling of neuropeptides released at the stomatogastric ganglion of the crab, Cancer borealis with mass spectrometry. J Neurochem 2005; 95:191-9. [PMID: 16181423 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2005.03355.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Studies of release under physiological conditions provide more direct data about the identity of neuromodulatory signaling molecules than studies of tissue localization that cannot distinguish between processing precursors and biologically active neuropeptides. We have identified neuropeptides released by electrical stimulation of nerves that contain the axons of the modulatory projection neurons to the stomatogastric ganglion of the crab, Cancer borealis. Preparations were bathed in saline containing a cocktail of peptidase inhibitors to minimize peptide degradation. Both electrical stimulation of projection nerves and depolarization with high K+ saline were used to evoke release. Releasates were desalted and then identified by mass using MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight) mass spectrometry. Both previously known and novel peptides were detected. Subsequent to electrical stimulation proctolin, Cancer borealis tachykinin-related peptide (CabTRP), FVNSRYa, carcinustatin-8, allatostatin-3 (AST-3), red pigment concentrating hormone, NRNFLRFa, AST-5, SGFYANRYa, TNRNFLRFa, AST-9, orcomyotropin-related peptide, corazonin, Ala13-orcokinin, and Ser9-Val13-orcokinin were detected. Some of these were also detected after high K+ depolarization. Release was calcium dependent. In summary, we have shown release of the neuropeptides thought to play an important neuromodulatory role in the stomatogastric ganglion, as well as numerous other candidate neuromodulators that remain to be identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyrus P Billimoria
- Department of Biology, Volen Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
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33
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Kiss T. G-protein coupled activation of potassium channels by endogenous neuropeptides in snail neurons. Eur J Neurosci 2005; 21:2177-85. [PMID: 15869514 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2005.04037.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Members of the mytilus inhibitory peptide (MIP) family play an important role in the modulation of many physiological processes in molluscs. The signal transduction pathways affected by the MIP effect have not, however, been elucidated. Application of guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate tetralithium salt (GTPgammaS), guanosine 5'-[beta-thio]diphosphate trilithium salt (GDPbetaS), the G-protein inhibitor suramin and pertussis toxin (PTX) demonstrated the involvement of the PTX-insensitive G-protein in the signal transduction pathway mediating MIP effects. Both G-protein alpha(i) and betagamma subunits were identified in D-neurons of Helix pomatia by immunoblotting. Their role in signal transduction was shown in electrophysiological experiments, which supported the notion that, in addition to the Galpha subunit, the betagamma dimer also participates in the neuropeptide-induced activation of K-channels in snail neurons. Finally, neuropeptide-activated responses were inhibited by the activation of adenylyl cyclase and by blockers of the phospholipase pathway. We suggest that bifurcation of the signal transduction takes place at the level of G-protein subunits. The alpha subunit may have a direct effect on adenylyl cyclase, while the betagamma subunit may have a direct effect on phospholipase enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tibor Kiss
- Department of Zoology, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Tihany, Hungary.
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34
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Huybrechts J, Verleyen P, Schoofs L. Mass spectrometric analysis of head ganglia and neuroendocrine tissue of larval Galleria mellonella (Arthropoda, Insecta). JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY : JMS 2005; 40:271-276. [PMID: 15706623 DOI: 10.1002/jms.835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
A brain-retrocerebral complex-subesophageal ganglion acidified methanolic extract of 100 larval Galleria mellonella (greater wax moth) was prepared for the isolation and identification of (neuro)peptides. To reduce sample complexity, the isolated peptides were roughly separated using a single, conventional chromatographic separation step. Subsequently, screening of these fractions with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry in combination with nanoflow electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry resulted in the identification of 12 lepidopteran peptides. None of these had been previously isolated or characterized within this species. VIFTPKLamide encoded by the diapause hormone-pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide precursor was for the first time isolated and biochemically identified in a tissue extract, providing irrefutable evidence of its expression in larval nervous tissue. Another pentapeptide, AMVRFamide, with no resemblance to other lepidopteran peptides, was de novo sequenced and is most related to the neuropeptide F peptide family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jurgen Huybrechts
- Laboratory of Developmental Physiology, Genomics and Proteomics, K.U. Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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35
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Jiménez CR. Batch Introduction Techniques. Methods Enzymol 2005; 405:36-49. [PMID: 16413309 DOI: 10.1016/s0076-6879(05)05002-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Mass spectrometry (MS) is widely used as a rapid tool for peptide profiling and protein identification. However, the success of the method is compromised by dirty and contaminated samples. Moreover, analysis from a small sample volume with a relative high concentration is usually required. In this chapter, different microscale sample preparation methods are discussed for off-line, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI) MS analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Connie R Jiménez
- Mass Spectrometry Resource, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, USA
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36
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Sasaki K, Morishita F, Furukawa Y. Peptidergic innervation of the vasoconstrictor muscle of the abdominal aorta inAplysia kurodai. J Exp Biol 2004; 207:4439-50. [PMID: 15557029 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.01273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARYThe arterial system of the marine mollusc Aplysia consists of three major arteries. One of them, the abdominal aorta, has a sphincter (the vasoconstrictor muscle) at the base of the artery. Contraction of this muscle reduces the blood flow into the abdominal aorta, thereby, playing a role in the regulation of the blood distribution in Aplysia. Here, we show the contractility of the vasoconstrictor muscle is modulated by three types of endogenous peptides, Aplysia mytilus inhibitory peptide-related peptides (AMRP), enterin and NdWFamide. Immunohistochemistry showed that putative neuronal processes containing the three peptides exist in the vasoconstrictor muscle. Enterin inhibited the muscle contraction elicited by the nerve stimulation or the application of a putative excitatory transmitter,acetylcholine (ACh). Enterin hyperpolarized the resting potential of the muscle and decreased the amplitude of the excitatory junction potential (EJP). AMRP also inhibited the nerve-evoked contraction although its action on the ACh-induced contraction was variable. AMRP also reduced the size of EJP, but had no effect on the resting potential of the muscle. NdWFamide enhanced the nerve-evoked contraction but not the ACh-induced contraction. NdWFamide augmented EJP without affecting the resting potential of the muscle. These results suggest that AMRP, enterin and NdWFamide are endogenous modulators of the contractile activity of the vasoconstrictor muscle, and that the peptidergic innervations of this muscle contribute to fine tuning of the blood distribution in Aplysia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosei Sasaki
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama 1-3-1, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
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37
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Hummon AB, Hummon NP, Corbin RW, Li L, Vilim FS, Weiss KR, Sweedler JV. From precursor to final peptides: a statistical sequence-based approach to predicting prohormone processing. J Proteome Res 2004; 2:650-6. [PMID: 14692459 DOI: 10.1021/pr034046d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Predicting the final neuropeptide products from neuropeptides genes has been problematic because of the large number of enzymes responsible for their processing. The basic processing of 22 Aplysia californica prohormones representing 750 cleavage sites have been analyzed and statistically modeled using binary logistic regression analyses. Two models are presented that predict cleavage probabilities at basic residues based on prohormone sequence. The complex model has a correct classification rate of 97%, a sensitivity of 97%, and a specificity of 96% when tested on the Aplysia dataset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda B Hummon
- Department of Chemistry and the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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38
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Ierusalimsky VN, Boguslavsky DV, Belyavsky AV, Balaban PM. Helix peptide immunoreactivity pattern in the nervous system of juvenile aplysia. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004; 120:84-9. [PMID: 14667582 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbrainres.2003.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Distribution of neurons immunopositive to antibody against the small peptides encoded by the Helix Command-Specific 2 (HCS2) gene in the central nervous system of juvenile Aplysia californica was investigated. The HCS2 gene is specifically expressed in the withdrawal behavior neurons of the terrestrial snail Helix lucorum. In Aplysia, 20-25 immunopositive neuronal somata were observed on dorsal surface of each pleural ganglion (including a giant pleural neuron). The HCS2-encoded peptide immunopositive fibers were observed in neuropiles of all ganglia and in many nerves. Functional significance of Aplysia immunopositive cells is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- V N Ierusalimsky
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, 5A Butlerova Str., Moscow 117485, Russia.
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39
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Smit AB, van Kesteren RE, Spijker S, Van Minnen J, van Golen FA, Jiménez CR, Li KW. Peptidergic modulation of male sexual behavior in Lymnaea stagnalis: structural and functional characterization of -FVamide neuropeptides. J Neurochem 2003; 87:1245-54. [PMID: 14622104 DOI: 10.1046/j.1471-4159.2003.02086.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In the simultaneous hermaphrodite snail Lymnaea stagnalis, copulation as a male is controlled by neurons that send axons to the male copulatory organs via a single penis nerve. Using direct mass spectrometry of a penis nerve sample, we show that one of the molecular ions has a mass corresponding to GAPRFVamide, previously identified from the buccal ganglia, and named Lymnaea inhibitory peptide (LIP). The identity of this peptide is confirmed by partial peptide purification from the penis nerve, followed by post source decay mass spectrometry. We cloned the LIP-encoding cDNA, which predicts a prohormone that gives rise to five copies of LIP (now re-named LIP A), two other -FVamide peptides (LIPs B and C), and five structurally unrelated peptides. The LIP gene is expressed in neurons of the right cerebral ventral lobe that send their axons into the penis nerve. We show that the LIP A peptide is present in these neurons and in the penis nerve, and confirmed the presence of LIP B and C in the penis nerve by post source decay mass spectrometry. Finally, we demonstrate that LIP A, B and C inhibit the contractions of the penis retractor muscle, thereby implicating their role in male copulation behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- A B Smit
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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40
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Kubiak TM, Larsen MJ, Zantello MR, Bowman JW, Nulf SC, Lowery DE. Functional annotation of the putative orphan Caenorhabditis elegans G-protein-coupled receptor C10C6.2 as a FLP15 peptide receptor. J Biol Chem 2003; 278:42115-20. [PMID: 12937167 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m304056200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
This report describes the cloning and functional annotation of a Caenorhabditis elegans orphan G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) (C10C6.2) as a receptor for the FMRFamide-related peptides (FaRPs) encoded on the flp15 precursor gene, leading to the receptor designation FLP15-R. A cDNA encoding C10C6.2 was obtained using PCR techniques, confirmed identical to the Worm-pep-predicted sequence, and cloned into a vector appropriate for eucaryotic expression. A [35S]guanosine 5'-O-(thiotriphosphate) (GTPgammaS) assay with membranes prepared from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transiently transfected with FLP15-R was used as a read-out for receptor activation. FLP15-R was activated by putative FLP15 peptides, GGPQGPLRF-NH2 (FLP15-1), RGPSGPLRF-NH2 (FLP15-2A), its des-Arg1 counterpart, GPSGPLRF-NH2 (FLP15-2B), and to a lesser extent, by a tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta FaRP, GNSFLRFNH2 (F7G) (potency ranking FLP15-2A > FLP15-1 > FLP15-2B >> F7G). FLP15-R activation was abolished in the transfected cells pretreated with pertussis toxin, suggesting a preferential receptor coupling to Gi/Go proteins. The functional expression of FLP15-R in mammalian cells was temperature-dependent. Either no stimulation or significantly lower ligand-evoked [35S]GTPgammaS binding was observed in membranes prepared from transfected FLP15-R/CHO cells cultured at 37 degrees C. However, a 37 to 28 degrees C temperature shift implemented 24 h post-transfection consistently resulted in an improved activation signal and was essential for detectable functional expression of FLP15-R in CHO cells. To our knowledge, the FLP15 receptor is only the second deorphanized C. elegans neuropeptide GPCR reported to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa M Kubiak
- Animal Health Discovery Research, Pharmacia Corporation, Kalamazoo, MI 49001, USA.
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41
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Dembrow NC, Jing J, Proekt A, Romero A, Vilim FS, Cropper EC, Weiss KR. A newly identified buccal interneuron initiates and modulates feeding motor programs in aplysia. J Neurophysiol 2003; 90:2190-204. [PMID: 12801904 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00173.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite considerable progress in characterizing the feeding central pattern generator (CPG) in Aplysia, the full complement of neurons that generate feeding motor programs has not yet been identified. The distribution of neuropeptide-containing neurons in the buccal and cerebral ganglia can be used as a tool to identify additional elements of the feeding circuitry by providing distinctions between otherwise morphologically indistinct neurons. For example, our recent study revealed a unique and potentially interesting unpaired PRQFVamide (PRQFVa)-containing neuron in the buccal ganglion. In this study, we describe the morphological and electrophysiological characterization of this novel neuron, which we designate as B50. We found that activation of B50 is capable of producing organized rhythmic output of the feeding CPG. The motor programs elicited by B50 exhibit some similarities as well as differences to motor programs elicited by the command-like cerebral-to-buccal interneuron CBI-2. In addition to activating the feeding CPG, B50 may act as a program modulator.
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Affiliation(s)
- N C Dembrow
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA
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42
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Hummon AB, Sweedler JV, Corbin RW. Discovering new neuropeptides using single-cell mass spectrometry. Trends Analyt Chem 2003. [DOI: 10.1016/s0165-9936(03)00901-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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43
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Furukawa Y, Nakamaru K, Sasaki K, Fujisawa Y, Minakata H, Ohta S, Morishita F, Matsushima O, Li L, Alexeeva V, Ellis TA, Dembrow NC, Jing J, Sweedler JV, Weiss KR, Vilim FS. PRQFVamide, a novel pentapeptide identified from the CNS and gut of Aplysia. J Neurophysiol 2003; 89:3114-27. [PMID: 12612009 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00014.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We have purified a novel pentapeptide from the Aplysia nervous system using bioassay on gut contractions. The structure of the peptide is Pro-Arg-Gln-Phe-Val-amide (PRQFVa). The precursor for PRQFVa was found to code for 33 copies of PRQFVamide and four related pentapeptides. Peaks corresponding to the predicted masses of all five pentapeptides were detected in Aplysia neurons by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Northern analysis revealed that expression of the precursor is abundant in the abdominal ganglion, much less in the pedal and cerebral ganglia, and rarely seen in the buccal and pleural ganglia. PRQFVa-positive neurons, mapped by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, were present in all the central ganglia. PRQFVa immunopositive processes were observed in the gut, particularly in association with the vasculature. Some arteries and other highly vascularized tissues, such as the gill and the kidney, also contain numerous PRQFVa immunopositive processes. Application of synthetic PRQFVa suppresses not only contractions of the gut but also contractions of vasculature. PRQFVa is expressed in some of the neurons within the feeding circuitry and application of synthetic PRQFVa was found to decrease the excitability of some (B4/5 and B31/32) but not all (B8) neurons of the buccal feeding circuit. Our findings suggest that PRQFVa may act as a modulator within the feeding system as well as in other systems of Aplysia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Furukawa
- Graduate School of Science, Department of Biological Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
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44
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Morishita F, Nakanishi Y, Sasaki K, Kanemaru K, Furukawa Y, Matsushima O. Distribution of the Aplysia cardioexcitatory peptide, NdWFamide, in the central and peripheral nervous systems of Aplysia. Cell Tissue Res 2003; 312:95-111. [PMID: 12712320 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-003-0707-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2002] [Accepted: 01/28/2003] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
NdWFamide is an Aplysia cardioexcitatory tri-peptide containing D-tryptophan. To investigate the roles of this peptide, we examined the immunohistochemical distribution of NdWFamide-positive neurons in Aplysia tissues. All the ganglia of the central nervous system (CNS) contained NdWFamide-positive neurons. In particular, two left upper quadrant cells in the abdominal ganglion, and the anterior cells in the pleural ganglion showed extensive positive signals. NdWFamide-positive processes were observed in peripheral tissues, such as those of the cardio-vascular system, digestive tract, and sex-accessory organs, and in the connectives or neuropils in the CNS. NdWFamide-positive neurons were abundant in peripheral plexuses, such as the stomatogastric ring. To examine the NdWFamide contents of tissues, we fractionated peptidic extracts from the respective tissues by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography and then assayed the fractions by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A fraction corresponding to the retention time of synthetic NdWFamide contained the most immunoreactivity, indicating that the tissues contained NdWFamide. The prevalence of the NdWFamide content was roughly in the order: abdominal ganglion >heart >gill >blood vessels >digestive tract. In most of the tissues containing NdWFamide-positive nerves, NdWFamide modulated the motile activities of the tissues. Thus, NdWFamide seems to be a versatile neurotransmitter/modulator of Aplysia and probably regulates the physiological activities of this animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumihiro Morishita
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, 739-8526, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan.
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45
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Sasaki K, Fujisawa Y, Morishita F, Matsushima O, Furukawa Y. The enterins inhibit the contractile activity of the anterior aorta of Aplysia kurodai. J Exp Biol 2002; 205:3525-33. [PMID: 12364405 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.205.22.3525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
The anterior aorta is one of the largest blood vessels in the marine mollusc Aplysia kurodai. We examined the actions of recently identified neuropeptides, the enterins, on this blood vessel. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the enterin-immunopositive nerve fibers and varicosity-like structures are abundant in the aorta. When the enterins were applied to the aorta, the basal tonus of the arterial muscles was diminished. The enterins also decreased the contraction amplitude of the anterior aorta evoked either by the application of an Aplysia cardioactive peptide,NdWFamide, or by the stimulation of a nerve innervating the aorta (the vulvar nerve). We found that the enterins activate the 4-aminopyridine(4-AP)-sensitive K+ channels, and thereby hyperpolarize the membrane potential of the aortic muscles. In the presence of 4-AP, the enterins failed to inhibit the muscle contraction evoked by the vulvar nerve stimulation, suggesting that the inhibition is mainly due to the activation of the 4-AP-sensitive K+ channels. The inhibition of the NdWFamide-evoked contraction by the enterin was not, however, affected by 4-AP. These results suggest that the enterins are involved in inhibitory regulation of the contractile activity of the anterior aorta, and that the inhibition could be due to multiple mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosei Sasaki
- Graduate School of Science, Department of Biological Science, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama 1-3-1, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
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46
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Sasaki K, Shimizu Y, Abe G, Fujisawa Y, Morishita F, Matsushima O, Furukawa Y. Structural and functional diversities of the Aplysia Mytilus inhibitory peptide-related peptides. Peptides 2002; 23:1959-65. [PMID: 12431734 DOI: 10.1016/s0196-9781(02)00183-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Aplysia Mytilus inhibitory peptide-related peptides (AMRPs) are multiple hexapeptides coded on a single precursor. By comparing the AMRP precursors of two species of Aplysia (Aplysia californica and Aplysia kurodai), we found that there are substantial numbers of species-specific AMRPs. We next compared the function of AMRPs on the anterior aorta between A. kurodai and Aplysia juliana. In A. juliana, AMRPs inhibited the contractile activity of the aorta (EC(50)=10(-9) to 10(-8)M), whereas the peptides had no obvious action in A. kurodai up to 10(-7)M. These results indicate that AMRPs are both structurally and functionally diverse neuropeptides even among closely related species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosei Sasaki
- Graduate School of Science, Department of Biological Science, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama 1-3-1, Japan
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47
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Sweedler JV, Li L, Rubakhin SS, Alexeeva V, Dembrow NC, Dowling O, Jing J, Weiss KR, Vilim FS. Identification and characterization of the feeding circuit-activating peptides, a novel neuropeptide family of aplysia. J Neurosci 2002; 22:7797-808. [PMID: 12196603 PMCID: PMC6757975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
We use a multidisciplinary approach to identify, map, and characterize the bioactivity of modulatory neuropeptides in the circuitry that generates feeding behavior in Aplysia. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry of the cerebral-buccal connective (CBC), a nerve containing axons of many interneurons that control feeding behavior of Aplysia, was used to identify neuropeptides that may participate in generation and shaping of feeding motor programs. Using this functionally oriented search, we identified a novel family of peptides that we call the feeding circuit-activating peptides (FCAPs). Two peptides with masses identical to those observed in the CBCs (molecular weight 1387 and 1433) were purified from buccal ganglia and partially sequenced using mass spectrometry. The amino acid sequence was then used to clone the FCAP precursor, which encodes multiple copies of eight different FCAPs. The two FCAPs present in highest copy number correspond to those observed in the CBC. The distribution of FCAP expression was mapped using Northern analysis, whole-mount in situ hybridization, and immunocytochemistry. Consistent with our initial findings, FCAP-immunopositive axons were observed in the CBC. Furthermore, we found that FCAP was present in some cerebral-buccal and buccal-cerebral interneurons. As their name suggests, FCAPs are capable of initiating rhythmic feeding motor programs and are the first neuropeptides with such activity in this circuit. The actions of FCAPs suggest that these peptides may contribute to the induction and maintenance of food-induced arousal. FCAPs were also localized to several other neuronal systems, suggesting that FCAPs may play a role in the regulation of multiple behaviors.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Aplysia
- Axonal Transport/physiology
- Axons/metabolism
- Blotting, Northern
- Cloning, Molecular
- Feeding Behavior/physiology
- Ganglia, Invertebrate/drug effects
- Ganglia, Invertebrate/metabolism
- Ganglia, Invertebrate/physiology
- Immunohistochemistry
- In Situ Hybridization
- In Vitro Techniques
- Interneurons/chemistry
- Interneurons/physiology
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Nerve Net/chemistry
- Nerve Net/drug effects
- Nerve Net/physiology
- Neuropeptides/analysis
- Neuropeptides/genetics
- Neuropeptides/pharmacology
- Neuropeptides/physiology
- Organ Specificity
- Periodicity
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Protein Processing, Post-Translational
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- Sequence Analysis, Protein
- Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
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Affiliation(s)
- J V Sweedler
- Department of Chemistry and Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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48
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Matsushima O, Takahama H, Ono Y, Nagahama T, Morishita F, Furukawa Y, Iwakoshi-Ukena E, Hisada M, Takuwa-Kuroda K, Minakata H. A novel GGNG-related neuropeptide from the polychaete Perinereis vancaurica. Peptides 2002; 23:1379-90. [PMID: 12182938 DOI: 10.1016/s0196-9781(02)00075-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The GGNG peptides are myoactive peptides so far identified from earthworms and leeches, which are the earthworm excitatory peptides (EEP) and the leech excitatory peptide (LEP), respectively. A novel GGNG peptide was isolated and structurally determined from a marine polychaete, Perinereis vancaurica, using a combination of immunological assay and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The peptide was a pentadecapeptide whose amino acid sequence was similar to that of EEP and LEP, and showed myoactivity on isolated esophagus of P. vancaurica with a threshold concentration of 10(-10)M. The peptide was designated as polychaete excitatory peptide (PEP). Amidation of the alpha-carboxyl group of C-terminal residue occurred in PEP. This is the case for LEP, but not for EEP. The cDNA cloning revealed that the structure of the PEP precursor is more similar to the EEP precursor than to the LEP precursor. Immunohistochemical staining showed the presence of PEP in several neurons of central nervous system (CNS) as somata and neuropile structure, epithelial cells of the pharynx and epidermal cells throughout the body wall. Altogether these results support the physiological significance of PEP in regulation of the CNS neural activity and the peripheral myoactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Matsushima
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan.
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49
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McDearmid JR, Brezina V, Weiss KR. AMRP peptides modulate a novel K(+) current in pleural sensory neurons of Aplysia. J Neurophysiol 2002; 88:323-32. [PMID: 12091557 DOI: 10.1152/jn.2002.88.1.323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Modulation of Aplysia mechanosensory neurons is thought to underlie plasticity of defensive behaviors that are mediated by these neurons. In the past, identification of modulators that act on the sensory neurons and characterization of their actions has been instrumental in providing insight into the functional role of the sensory neurons in the defensive behaviors. Motivated by this precedent and a recent report of the presence of Aplysia Mytilus inhibitory peptide-related (AMRP) neuropeptides in the neuropile and neurons of the pleural ganglia, we sought to determine whether and how pleural sensory neurons respond to the AMRPs. In cultured pleural sensory neurons under voltage clamp, AMRPs elicited a relatively rapidly developing, then partially desensitizing, outward current. The current exhibited outward rectification; in normal 10 mM K(+), it was outward at membrane potentials more positive than -80 mV but disappeared without reversing at more negative potentials. When external K(+) was elevated to 100 mM, the AMRP-elicited current reversed around -25 mV; the shift in reversal potential was as expected for a current carried primarily by K(+). In the high-K(+) solution, the reversed current began to decrease at potentials more negative than -60 mV, creating a region of negative slope resistance in the I-V relationship. The AMRP-elicited K(+) current was blocked by extremely low concentrations of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP; IC(50) = 1.7 x 10(-7) M) but was not very sensitive to TEA. In cell-attached patches, AMRPs applied outside the patch-thus presumably through a diffusible messenger-increased the activity of a K(+) channel that very likely underlies the macroscopic current. The single-channel current exhibited outward rectification, and the open probability of the channel decreased with hyperpolarization; together, these two factors accounted for the outward rectification of the macroscopic current. Submicromolar 4-AP included in the patch pipette blocked the channel by reducing its open probability without altering the single-channel current. Based on the characteristics of the AMRP-modulated K(+) current, we conclude that it is a novel current that has not been previously described in Aplysia mechanosensory neurons. In addition to this current, two other AMRP-elicited currents, a slow, 4-AP-resistant outward current and a Na(+)-dependent inward current, were occasionally observed in the cultured sensory neurons. Responses consistent with all three currents were observed in sensory neurons in situ in intact pleural ganglia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R McDearmid
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics and Fishberg Research Center for Neurobiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029
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50
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Vilim FS, Alexeeva V, Moroz LL, Li L, Moroz TP, Sweedler JV, Weiss KR. Cloning, expression and processing of the CP2 neuropeptide precursor of Aplysia. Peptides 2001; 22:2027-38. [PMID: 11786187 DOI: 10.1016/s0196-9781(01)00561-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The cDNA sequence encoding the CP2 neuropeptide precursor is identified and encodes a single copy of the neuropeptide that is flanked by appropriate processing sites. The distribution of the CP2 precursor mRNA is described and matches the CP2-like immunoreactivity described previously. Single cell RT-PCR independently confirms the presence of CP2 precursor mRNA in selected neurons. MALDI-TOF MS is used to identify additional peptides derived from the CP2 precursor in neuronal somata and nerves, suggesting that the CP2 precursor may give rise to additional bioactive neuropeptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- F S Vilim
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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