title: Neuroparsin transcripts as molecular markers in the process of desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) phase transition.
abstract: Desert locust swarms occasionally cause severe ecological and economic damage, particularly in countries of northwest Africa. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying locust phase transition, the switch of the solitarious to the gregarious phase, remain elusive. Therefore, identification of molecular changes linked to this phenomenon represents a primary requirement to start unraveling this enigma. The present paper provides novel information on phase-related molecular markers for locust phase transition. We present a detailed quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis of two distinct neuroparsin precursor transcripts (Scg-NPP3 and Scg-NPP4) in the brain and in abdominal tissues of gregarious and solitarious desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria). Our data reveal different temporal changes of these transcripts in the fat body during the adult stage of both phases. We, hereby, present novel scientific evidence for a phase-dependent regulation of these particular peptide hormone encoding transcripts and assign them as possible molecular markers in the process of locust phase transition.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Developmental Physiology, Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, K.U. Louvain, Belgium. Ilse.Claeys@bio.kuleuven.be
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Claeys
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Breugelmans
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simonet
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Soest
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sas
authors.forename: Arnold
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Loof
authors.forename: Jozef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanden Broeck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics*; D006110:Grasshoppers; D007301:Insect Hormones / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008675:Metamorphosis, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000378:metabolism; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D005819:Genetic Markers; D007301:Insect Hormones; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D011498:Protein Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C434945:neuroparsin B precursor, desert locust