Isoform-specific expression of the neuropeptide orcokinin in Drosophila melanogaster
Peptides. 2015-06-01; 68: 50-57
DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2015.01.002
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Chen J(1), Choi MS(1), Mizoguchi A(2), Veenstra JA(3), Kang K(4), Kim YJ(5), Kwon JY(6).
Author information:
(1)Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746,
Republic of Korea.
(2)Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University,
Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan.
(3)Université de Bordeaux, INCIA UMR 5287 CNRS, 33405 Talence, France.
(4)Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology,
School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Republic of Korea.
(5)School of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, 261
Cheomdan-gwagiro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 500-712, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:
.
(6)Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746,
Republic of Korea. Electronic address: .
Orcokinins are neuropeptides that have been identified in diverse arthropods. In
some species, an orcokinin gene encodes two isoforms of mature orcokinin peptide
through alternative mRNA splicing. The existence of two orcokinin isoforms was
predicted in Drosophila melanogaster as well, but the expression pattern of both
isoforms has not been characterized. Here, we use in situ hybridization, antibody
staining, and enhancer fusion GAL4 transgenic flies to examine the expression
patterns of the A and B forms of orcokinin, and provide evidence that they are
expressed differentially in the central nervous system (CNS) and the intestinal
enteroendocrine system. The orcokinin A isoform is mainly expressed in the CNS of
both larvae and adults. The A form is expressed in 5 pairs of neurons in
abdominal neuromeres 1-5 of the larval CNS. In the adult brain, the A form is
expressed in one pair of neurons in the posteriorlateral protocerebrum, and an
additional four pairs of neurons located near the basement of the accessory
medulla. Orcokinin A expression is also observed in two pairs of neurons in the
ventral nerve cord (VNC). The orcokinin B form is mainly expressed in intestinal
enteroendocrine cells in the larva and adult, with additional expression in one
unpaired neuron in the adult abdominal ganglion. Together, our results provide
elucidation of the existence and differential expression of the two orcokinin
isoforms in the Drosophila brain and gut, setting the stage for future functional
studies of orcokinins utilizing the genetically amenable fly model.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.