Orcokinins in insects and other invertebrates

• Published in: Insect biochemistry and molecular biology Vol. 34; no. 11; pp. 1141 - 1146
• Main Authors: Pascual, Nuria, Castresana, José, Valero, Maria-Luz, Andreu, David, Bellés, Xavier
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2004
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; animal tissue extracts; Animals; Anopheles - chemistry; Anopheles - genetics; Anopheles gambiae; Astacoidea - chemistry; Astacoidea - genetics; bioactive properties; Blattella germanica; Blattellidae - chemistry; Blattellidae - genetics; brain; Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans - chemistry; Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - isolation & purification; Crustacea; Crustaceans; Digestive System - drug effects; Female; In Vitro Techniques; Insect Proteins - genetics; Insect Proteins - isolation & purification; Insect Proteins - pharmacology; Insects; kinins; Molecular Sequence Data; myotropic peptides; Nematoda; Neuropeptides - genetics; Neuropeptides - isolation & purification; Neuropeptides - pharmacology; nucleotide sequences; Orcokinin; Orcomyotropin; orcomyotropins; Procambarus clarkii; Protein Precursors - genetics; Protein Precursors - isolation & purification; purification; sequence homology; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Species Specificity; Caenorhabditis elegans; Crustaceans; Insects; Anopheles gambiae; Orcokinin; Orcomyotropin; Blattella germanica
• ISSN: 0965-1748; 1879-0240
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2004.07.005

Orcokinin (NFDEIDRSGFGFN) and orcokinin homologues are crustacean peptides eliciting potent myotropic effects in gut tissues. Through HPLC purification of brain extract of the cockroach Blattella germanica, we isolated the first insect orcokinin (NFDEIDRSGFNS). This insect orcokinin-like peptide do not show myotropic properties in B. germanica gut tissues. Gene database search using orcokinin precursor sequences of the crustacean Procambarus clarkii led to putative homologues found in non-crustacean groups, including the mosquito Anopheles gambiae and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.