title: The presence and effects of mammalian signal molecules in immunocytes of the insect Leucophaea maderae.
abstract: Opioid peptides activate immunocytes and opiate alkaloids inhibit this activation in the mussel, Mytilus edulis. Here we present evidence that cells of another invertebrate, Leucophaea maderae, can be influenced in a similar way by the Met-enkephalin analogue D-Ala2-Met5-enkephalin (DAMA) and morphine. Effects of different signal molecules on Leucophaea hemocytes were evaluated by computer-assisted image analysis of their conformational state. A small percentage of the untreated cells were found to display spontaneous conformational changes after 25 min of incubation without pharmacological agents which was noted as a decrease in both circularity factor and shape factor values. Activation caused the cells to become elliptical, a feature that appears to be characteristic of Leucophaea immunocytes. Administration of DAMA induced a similar activation of most of the cells. After 30 min these DAMA-activated cells started to display distinct locomotory activity not seen in the controls. alpha-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH, 10(-7)) added to the incubation medium after DAMA-activation caused the cells to return to their original "rounded" conformation. In addition, the presence of immunoreactive interleukin (IL-1), adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in the hemolymph was demonstrated. These data suggest an interaction between both vertebrate-type immunological signal molecules and neuropeptides in the regulation of immunological cells in Leucophaea.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anatomy and Structural Biology and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Scharrer
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paemen
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lui
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Stefano
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D003058:Cockroaches / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000032:analysis*; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D007107:Immune System / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000032:analysis; D009020:Morphine / Q000494:pharmacology; D009270:Naloxone / Q000494:pharmacology; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D009294:Narcotics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis; D000521:alpha-MSH / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007375:Interleukin-1; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D009294:Narcotics; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C078711:enkephalin, delta-Ala(2)-Met(5)-; D009270:Naloxone; D000521:alpha-MSH; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine; D009020:Morphine; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone