Cloning-based approach combining homology search in the Bombyx genome sequence and Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (RACE) resulted in annotation of 23 neuropeptide genes and different splicing variants of three genes. In total 37 neuropeptide genes in addition to bombyxin gene family have been identified in Bombyx. Comparison of available insect neuropeptide genes revealed that the silkworm genome contains most conserved neuropeptide genes except those encoding proctolin, vasopressin-like peptide and neuropeptide-like precursor 2. In addition, we identified several paralogous neuropeptide genes which have not been found in other insects. The Bombyx genome contains a triplet of paralogous genes encoding adipokinetic hormones (AKH), two genes encoding different neuropeptide Fs (NPFs) and a tandem of related SIFamide and IMFamide genes. A novel gene coding for CCHamide was cloned and its expression in the CNS and midgut was demonstrated. Differential splicing was observed for the first time in transcripts for diuretic hormones and cardioacceleratory peptides 2b. Most paralogous genes or splicing variants of the same gene showed different expression patterns in the central nervous system (CNS). These results suggest that unique duplication and differential expression of several neuropeptide genes occurred during the evolution in Bombyx. This may be an effective mechanism for functional diversification of conserved neuropeptides.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ibmb.2008.04.009 | DOI Listing |
PLoS Biol
January 2025
Department of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America.
Throughout the animal kingdom, several members of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family act as proneural genes during early steps of nervous system development. Roles of bHLH genes in specifying terminal differentiation of postmitotic neurons have been less extensively studied. We analyze here the function of 5 Caenorhabditis elegans bHLH genes, falling into 3 phylogenetically conserved subfamilies, which are continuously expressed in a very small number of postmitotic neurons in the central nervous system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInsect Sci
January 2025
Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Agricultural Pest Management of the Mountainous Region, Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China.
Feeding and molting are particularly important physiological processes for insects, and it has been reported that neuropeptides are involved in the nervous regulation of these 2 processes. Sulfakinin (SK) is an important neuropeptide that is widely distributed among insects and plays a pivotal role in regulating feeding, courtship, aggression, and locomotion. In this study, we investigated the involvement of SK in feeding and molting on a highly notorious pest insect, the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWorld J Urol
January 2025
Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, 100044, China.
Purpose: This study aims to elucidate the role of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) in Hunner-type Interstitial Cystitis (HIC) and evaluate its potential as a therapeutic target.
Methods: Bladder tissue samples were obtained from HIC patients and normal bladder tissue from bladder cancer patients. PACAP expression was assessed through immunohistochemistry.
Front Clin Diabetes Healthc
December 2024
Mother Infant Research Institute at Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States.
Introduction: Infants of diabetic mothers (IDMs) may exhibit decreased oral intake, requiring nasogastric feedings and prolonged hospitalization. The objective of this study was to explore whether saliva serves as an informative biofluid for detecting expression of hunger signaling and energy homeostasis modulator genes and to perform exploratory analyses examining expression profiles, body composition, and feeding outcomes in late preterm and term IDMs and infants born to mothers with normoglycemia during pregnancy.
Methods: In this prospective cohort pilot study, infants born at ≥ 35 weeks' gestation to mothers with gestational or type II diabetes (IDM cohort) and normoglycemic mothers (control cohort) were recruited.
Theranostics
January 2025
Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
: The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is a central hub for the regulation of aggression, whereas the circuitry and molecular mechanisms underlying this regulation remain uncharacterized. In this study, we investigate the role of a distinct cell type, -expressing (Tac2) neurons, located in the dorsomedial PAG (dmPAG) and their modulation of aggressive behavior in mice. : We combined activity mapping, Ca recording, chemogenetic and pharmacological manipulation, and a viral-based translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) profiling using a mouse resident-intruder model.
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