Global map of oxytocin/vasopressin-like neuropeptide signalling in insects.

Zita Liutkeviciute,Thomas Eder,Johannes Koehbach,Esther Gil-Mansilla,Christian W Gruber

doi:10.1038/srep39177

Abstract

Oxytocin and vasopressin mediate a range of physiological functions that are important for osmoregulation, reproduction, social behaviour, memory and learning. The origin of this signalling system is thought to date back ~600 million years. Oxytocin/vasopressin-like peptides have been identified in several invertebrate species and they appear to be functionally related across the entire animal kingdom. There is little information available about the biology of this peptide G protein-coupled receptor signalling system in insects. Recently over 200 insect genome/transcriptome datasets were released allowing investigation of the molecular structure and phylogenetic distribution of the insect oxytocin/vasopressin orthologue – inotocin peptides and their receptors. The signalling system is present in early arthropods and representatives of some early-diverging lineages. However, Trichoptera, Lepidoptera, Siphonaptera, Mecoptera and Diptera, lack the presence of inotocin genes, which suggests the peptide-receptor system was probably lost in their common ancestor ~280 million-years-ago. In addition we detected several losses of the inotocin signalling system in Hemiptera (white flies, scale insects and aphids), and the complete absence in spiders (Chelicerata). This unique insight into evolutionarily patterns and sequence diversity of neuroendocrine hormones will provide opportunities to elucidate the physiology of the inotocin signalling system in one of the largest group of animals.

Highlights

IntroductionInsects (phylum Arthropoda, subphylum Hexapoda) constitute the largest and most diverse group of organisms on earth, contributing to at least half of the global species diversity[1]
Insects constitute the largest and most diverse group of organisms on earth, contributing to at least half of the global species diversity[1]
This peptide G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signalling system is thought to date back more than 600 million years[3], little is known about the phylogenetic distribution and evolution of this peptidergic signalling system within arthropods

Summary

Introduction

Insects (phylum Arthropoda, subphylum Hexapoda) constitute the largest and most diverse group of organisms on earth, contributing to at least half of the global species diversity[1]. We took advantage of this opportunity to investigate the repertoire of oxytocin/vasopressin-like peptides, namely inotocin peptide hormone precursors, and their cognate family of receptors This peptide G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signalling system is thought to date back more than 600 million years[3], little is known about the phylogenetic distribution and evolution of this peptidergic signalling system within arthropods. We carried out sequence analyses for conserved motifs on the sequences that were found and performed a phylogenetic analysis of the inotocin receptors This revealed a unique insight into the phylogenetic distribution and aspects of the evolution of the oxytocin/vasopressin-like peptide GPCR signalling system in arthropods

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