Identification of New Members of the (Short) Neuropeptide F Family in Locusts and Caenorhabditis elegans

• Published in: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Vol. 1163; no. 1; pp. 60 - 74
• Main Authors: Clynen, Elke, Husson, Steven J., Schoofs, Liliane
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01-04-2009
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; C. elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans - chemistry; Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans - metabolism; FaRP; Grasshoppers - chemistry; Grasshoppers - genetics; Grasshoppers - metabolism; Locusta migratoria; locusts; Molecular Sequence Data; Nematoda; nematodes; neuropeptide F/Y; Neuropeptides - chemistry; Neuropeptides - classification; Neuropeptides - genetics; Neuropeptides - metabolism; peptide precursor processing; peptidomics; Protein Precursors - chemistry; Protein Precursors - genetics; Protein Precursors - metabolism; Schistocerca gregaria; Solubility; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
• ISSN: 0077-8923; 1749-6632; 1930-6547
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2008.03624.x

Both the long and short neuropeptides F (NPF) represent important families of invertebrate neuropeptides that have been implicated in the regulation of reproduction and feeding behavior. In the present study, two short NPFs (SNRSPSL/IRL/IRFamide and SPSL/IRL/IRFamide) were de novo sequenced by mass spectrometry in two major pest insects, the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria and the African migratory locust Locusta migratoria. They are two of the most widespread peptides in the locust neuroendocrine system. A peptide that was previously reported to accelerate egg development in S. gregaria is shown to represent a truncated form of long NPF. This peptide is most likely derived by a novel processing mechanism involving cleavage at RY. In addition, an NPF peptide from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was isolated and sequenced by tandem mass spectrometry.