Allatostatin C and its paralog allatostatin double C: The arthropod somatostatins

• Published in: Insect biochemistry and molecular biology 2009-03, Vol.39 (3), p.161-170
• Main Author: Veenstra, Jan A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: allatostatin; Allatostatin C; Amino Acid Sequence; amino acid sequences; Animals; Arthropoda; arthropods; Arthropods - genetics; Base Sequence; Bombyx mori; complementary DNA; conserved sequences; Drosophila; Drosophila melanogaster; Female; Gene Expression; genes; Insect Proteins - chemistry; Insect Proteins - genetics; Insect Proteins - metabolism; Ixodes scapularis; Ixodidae; Juxtacrine; juxtacrine regulation; Lepidoptera; Male; Molecular Sequence Data; Neuropeptide; neuropeptide precursors; neuropeptide receptors; neuropeptides; Neuropeptides - chemistry; Neuropeptides - genetics; Neuropeptides - metabolism; nucleotide sequences; physiological regulation; Rhodnius prolixus; Sequence Alignment; Somatostatin; Somatostatin - genetics; Ticks - chemistry; Ticks - genetics; Ticks - metabolism
• ISSN: 0965-1748; 1879-0240
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2008.10.014

Arthropods do not have one, but two genes encoding an allatostatin C-like peptide. The newly discovered paralog gene was called Ast-CC, and the peptide which it is predicted to make was called allatostatin double C (ASTCC). Genes for both allatostatin C (ASTC) and its paralog were found in the tick Ixodes scapularis as well as dipteran, lepidopteran, coleopteran, aphidoidean and phthirapteran insect species. In addition partial or complete cDNAs derived from Ast-CCs were found in a number of species, including Drosophila melanogaster, Bombyx mori and Rhodnius prolixus. The ASTCC precursors have a second conserved peptide sequence suggesting that they may produce two biologically active peptides. The predicted precursors encoded by the Ast-CCs have some unusual features, particularly in Drosophila, where they lack a signal peptide, and have instead a peptide anchor. These unusual structural features suggest that they are perhaps expressed by cells that are not specialized in neuropeptide synthesis and that in Drosophila ASTCC may be a juxtacrine. Data from the Fly Atlas project show that in Drosophila Ast-CC is little expressed. Nevertheless a P-element insertion in this gene is embryonic lethal, suggesting that it is an essential gene. Similarity between the precursors and receptors of ASTC/ASTCC and somatostatin suggests that ASTC/ASTCC and somatostatin have a common ancestor.