Identification of neuropeptide-like protein gene families in Caenorhabditis elegans and other species

AUTOR(ES)

Nathoo, Arif N.

FONTE

The National Academy of Sciences

RESUMO

Neuropeptides play critical roles in synaptic signaling in all nervous systems. Unlike classical neurotransmitters, peptidergic neurotransmitters are encoded as preproproteins that are posttranslationally processed to yield bioactive neuropeptides. To identify novel peptidergic neurotransmitters, the Caenorhabditis elegans genome was searched for predicted proteins with the structural hallmarks of neuropeptide preproproteins. Thirty-two C. elegans neuropeptide-like protein (nlp) genes were identified. The nlp genes define at least 11 families of putative neuropeptides with unique motifs; similar expressed sequence tags were identified in other invertebrate species for all 11 families. Six of these families are defined by putative bioactive motifs (FAFA, GGxYamide, MRxamide, LQFamide, LxDxamide, and GGARAF); the remaining five families are related to allatostatin, myomodulin, buccalin/drosulfakinin, orcokinin, and APGWamide neuropeptides (MGL/Famide, FRPamide, MSFamide, GFxGF, and YGGWamide families, respectively). Most C. elegans nlp gene expression is in neurons. The C. elegans nlp genes and similar genes encoding putative neuropeptides in other species are likely to play diverse roles in nervous system function.

Documentos Relacionados

• Transferrin receptors in rat brain: neuropeptide-like pattern and relationship to iron distribution.
• Amyloid fibrils in human insulinoma and islets of Langerhans of the diabetic cat are derived from a neuropeptide-like protein also present in normal islet cells.
• Classification of Transmembrane Protein Families in the Caenorhabditis elegans Genome and Identification of Human Orthologs
• Adaptive evolution in the SRZ chemoreceptor families of Caenorhabditis elegans and Caenorhabditis briggsae
• An HMG1-like protein facilitates Wnt signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans