title: Orcokinins in insects and other invertebrates.
abstract: Orcokinin (NFDEIDRSGFGFN) and orcokinin homologues are crustacean peptides eliciting potent myotropic effects in gut tissues. Through HPLC purification of brain extract of the cockroach Blattella germanica, we isolated the first insect orcokinin (NFDEIDRSGFNS). This insect orcokinin-like peptide do not show myotropic properties in B. germanica gut tissues. Gene database search using orcokinin precursor sequences of the crustacean Procambarus clarkii led to putative homologues found in non-crustacean groups, including the mosquito Anopheles gambiae and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Molecular Biodiversity, Institut de Biologia Molecular de Barcelona (CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pascual
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Castresana
authors.forename: Maria-Luz
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Valero
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Andreu
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bellés
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003400:Astacoidea / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020048:Blattellidae / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004064:Digestive System / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D011498:Protein Precursors; C079067:orcokinin