title: Activation of an extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) by the insect prothoracicotropic hormone.
abstract: Ecdysteroid hormones are crucial in controlling the growth, molting and metamorphosis of insects. The predominant source of ecdysteroids in pre-adult insects is the prothoracic gland, which is under the acute control of the neuropeptide hormone prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH). Previous studies using the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, have shown that PTTH stimulates ecdysteroid synthesis via a series of events, including the activation of protein kinase A and the 70 kDa S6 kinase (p70(S6k)). In this study, PTTH was shown to stimulate also mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation and activity in the Manduca prothoracic gland. The MAPK involved appears to be an extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) homologue. The ERK phosphorylation inhibitors PD 98059 and UO 126 blocked basal and PTTH-stimulated ERK phosphorylation and ecdysteroid synthesis. PTTH-stimulated ERK activity may be important for both rapid regulation of ecdysteroid synthesis and for longer-term changes in the size and function of prothoracic gland cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Coker Hall CB# 3280, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599-3280, USA. ryczcy@bio.unc.edu
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rybczynski
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: L I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Gilbert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D026461:Ecdysteroids / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004702:Endocrine Glands / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D007301:Insect Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology; D007313:Insecta / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D007814:Larva; D018402:Manduca / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D026461:Ecdysteroids; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007301:Insect Hormones; C009089:prothoracicotropic hormone; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases