title: Structures, assays and receptors for locust adipokinetic hormones.
abstract: This review is concerned mainly with the adipokinetic hormones (AKHs) of locusts: their molecular conformations, actions and functions and the development of microfiltration assays in vitro. The physiological significance of having multiple hormones with overlapping actions whose efficacy changes during development is discussed in relation to the possibility that these reflect variations in populations of receptors and/or the pharmacokinetics of the peptides. The involvement of second messengers in the transduction mechanism of AKHs is reviewed, and we describe hormone-induced changes of intracellular calcium in single dispersed fat body cells. The structure activity relationships of the three locust AKHs and a number of analogues with variations at the N- and C-termini are discussed. A number of areas are identified where there are gaps in our understanding of these hormones, and some of these will be the focus of our future research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Birkbeck College, University of London, U.K.
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Goldsworthy
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Luswata
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Drake
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hyde
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001671:Biochemistry / Q000379:methods; D006110:Grasshoppers / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D007301:Insect Hormones / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D019476:Insect Proteins; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011761:Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D007301:Insect Hormones; D019476:Insect Proteins; D009842:Oligopeptides; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C044833:adipokinetic hormone; D011761:Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid