Molecular cloning and function expression of a diuretic hormone receptor from the house cricket, Acheta domesticus

Abstract

Insect diuretic hormones regulate fluid and ion secretion and the receptors with which they interact are attractive targets for new insect control agents. Recently, a diuretic hormone receptor from the moth Manduca sexta was isolated by expression cloning and found to be a member of the calcitonin/secretin/corticotropin releasing factor family of G-protein coupled receptors [Reagan J. D. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 9–12]. Degenerate oligonucleotides were designed based upon conserved regions in this receptor family and used to isolate a diuretic hormone receptor from the house cricket, Acheta domesticus. The complementary DNA isolated encodes a protein consisting of 441 amino acids with seven putative membrane spanning regions. Interestingly, unlike the M. sexta diuretic hormone receptor, the cricket diuretic hormone receptor contains a putative signal sequence. The receptor shares 53% and 38% sequence identity with the M. sexta diuretic hormone and human corticotropin releasing factor receptors respectively. When expressed in COS-7 cells, the receptor binds A. domesticus diuretic hormone with high affinity and stimulates adenylate cyclase with high potency. Four other insect diuretic hormones are considerably less effective at stimulating adenylate cyclase in COS-7 cells transfected with the receptor. This is in contrast to the M. sexta diuretic hormone receptor which is stimulated by all five insect diuretic hormones with high potency.