Characterization of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor in C. elegans

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Characterization of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor in C. elegans Marleen Lindemans1*, Tom Janssen1, Isabel Beets1 and Liliane Schoofs1 1 Catholic University of Leuven, Biology Department, Research Group of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Belgium In mammals, key hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis control reproduction. The hypothalamic hormone gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a neuropeptide that stimulates the release of gonadotropins from the anterior pituitary. The existence of a putative functional equivalent of this reproduction axis in protostomian invertebrates has been a matter of debate. In this study, the ligand for the GnRH receptor in the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (Ce-GnRHR) was found using a bioinformatic approach. The peptide and its precursor are reminiscent of both insect adipokinetic hormones (AKH) and of GnRH-preprohormone precursors from tunicates and higher vertebrates. We cloned the AKH-GnRH-like preprohormone and the Ce-GnRHR and expressed the GPCR in HEK293T cells upon characterization. The Ce-GnRHR was activated by the C. elegans AKH-GnRH-like peptide as well as by Drosophila AKH and other nematode AKH-GnRHs that we found in EST databases. Analogous to insect AKH receptor and vertebrate GnRH receptor signaling, Ce-AKH-GnRH activated its receptor through a Gαq protein with Ca2+ as second messenger. Gene silencing of Ce-GnRHR or Ce-AKH-GnRH or both resulted in a delay in the egg laying process. This is comparable to a delay in puberty in mammals lacking a normal dose of GnRH peptide or with a mutated GnRH precursor or receptor gene. In addition, the Ce-AKH-GnRH precursor is expressed in a pair of head neurons during all C. elegans life stages, and particularly in the fourth larval stage - just before adulthood - also in neuronal projections at the vulva. The present data support the view that the AKH-GnRH signaling system probably arose very early in metazoan evolution and that its role in reproduction might have been developed prior to the divergence of Protostomians and Deuterostomians. Keywords: comparative endocrinology Conference: 25th Conference of the European Comparative Endocrinologists, Pécs, Hungary, 31 Aug - 4 Sep, 2010. Presentation Type: Conference Presentation Topic: Comparative endocrinology Citation: Lindemans M, Janssen T, Beets I and Schoofs L (2010). Characterization of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor in C. elegans. Front. Endocrinol. Conference Abstract: 25th Conference of the European Comparative Endocrinologists. doi: 10.3389/conf.fendo.2010.01.00039 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 26 Aug 2010; Published Online: 29 Aug 2010. * Correspondence: Ms. Marleen Lindemans, Catholic University of Leuven, Biology Department, Research Group of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Leuven, Belgium, marleen.lindemans@bio.kuleuven.be Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Marleen Lindemans Tom Janssen Isabel Beets Liliane Schoofs Google Marleen Lindemans Tom Janssen Isabel Beets Liliane Schoofs Google Scholar Marleen Lindemans Tom Janssen Isabel Beets Liliane Schoofs PubMed Marleen Lindemans Tom Janssen Isabel Beets Liliane Schoofs Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.