Abstract
The neurohormone octopamine regulates many crucial physiological processes in insects and exerts its activity via typical G-protein coupled receptors. The roles of octopamine receptors in regulating behavior and physiology in Coleoptera (beetles) need better understanding. We used the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, as a model species to study the contribution of the octopamine receptor to behavior and physiology. We cloned the cDNA of a β-adrenergic-like octopamine receptor (TcOctβ2R). This was heterologously expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells and was demonstrated to be functional using an in vitro cyclic AMP assay. In an RNAi assay, injection of dsRNA demonstrated that TcOctβ2R modulates beetle locomotion, mating duration, and fertility. These data present some roles of the octopaminergic signaling system in T. castaneum. Our findings will also help to elucidate the potential functions of individual octopamine receptors in other insects.
Highlights
Octopamine (OA) was first discovered in the salivary glands of an octopus [1], and it shares structural and functional similarities to the vertebrate biogenic amines, adrenaline, and noradrenaline
The availability of well-annotated genome information of model organisms, such as T. castaneum, provided an opportunity to study the functions of the octopaminergic signaling system
Octopamine receptors have been identified from many species, including
Summary
Octopamine (OA) was first discovered in the salivary glands of an octopus [1], and it shares structural and functional similarities to the vertebrate biogenic amines, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. OA acts as a neurohormone, neuromodulator, and neurotransmitter in invertebrates [3], with essential functions and regulation of many physiological processes, including olfactory sensitivity [4,5,6], endocrine regulation [7], learning and memory [8,9], locomotion [10,11,12,13], sleep [14], induction of germline stem cell increase [15], and ovulation [16,17,18,19]. A number of OA receptors were cloned from other insect species. According to their functional similarities to vertebrate adrenergic receptors, in terms of amino acid sequence and signaling pathway, OA receptors are classified into four major groups designated as α1 -adrenergic-like OA receptors (Octα1 -R), α2 -adrenergic-like
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