title: Insect diapause-specific peptide from the leaf beetle has consensus with a putative iridovirus peptide.
abstract: Diapause and hibernation during periods of environmental adversity are essential features of the life cycle in many organisms, yet the molecular basis for these events differs among animals. We have identified an endogenous diapause/hibernation-specific peptide, from the leaf beetle Gastrophysa atrocyanea. This peptide provides antifungal activity, acts as a N-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channel blocker, and has a new consensus sequence with an unknown polypeptide encoded in the insect iridescent virus. These results indicate that the diapause-specific peptide may be utilized as a probe to analyze and compare functional and evolutional aspects of the life cycles of insects and iridoviruses.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Department of Agro-Bioscience, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromasa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Yoshimi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Agoh
authors.forename: Junji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Okunishi
authors.forename: Eiichi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tachikawa
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D001483:Base Sequence; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D016384:Consensus Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D007301:Insect Hormones / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007497:Iridoviridae / Q000737:chemistry*; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010802:Phylogeny; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D007301:Insect Hormones; D010455:Peptides; D014764:Viral Proteins