title: Bioinformatic prediction of arthropod/nematode-like peptides in non-arthropod, non-nematode members of the Ecdysozoa.
abstract: The Onychophora, Priapulida and Tardigrada, along with the Arthropoda, Nematoda and several other small phyla, form the superphylum Ecdysozoa. Numerous peptidomic studies have been undertaken for both the arthropods and nematodes, resulting in the identification of many peptides from each group. In contrast, little is known about the peptides used as paracrines/hormones by species from the other ecdysozoan taxa. Here, transcriptome mining and bioinformatic peptide prediction were used to identify peptides in members of the Onychophora, Priapulida and Tardigrada, the only non-arthropod, non-nematode members of the Ecdysozoa for which there are publicly accessible expressed sequence tags (ESTs). The extant ESTs for each phylum were queried using 106 arthropod/nematode peptide precursors. Transcripts encoding calcitonin-like diuretic hormone and pigment-dispersing hormone (PDH) were identified for the onychophoran Peripatopsis sedgwicki, with transcripts encoding C-type allatostatin (C-AST) and FMRFamide-like peptide identified for the priapulid Priapulus caudatus. For the Tardigrada, transcripts encoding members of the A-type allatostatin, C-AST, insect kinin, orcokinin, PDH and tachykinin-related peptide families were identified, all but one from Hypsibius dujardini (the exception being a Milnesium tardigradum orcokinin-encoding transcript). The proteins deduced from these ESTs resulted in the prediction of 48 novel peptides, six onychophoran, eight priapulid and 34 tardigrade, which are the first described from these phyla.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Program, John W and Jean C Boylan Center for Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, PO Box 35, Old Bar Harbor Road, Salisbury Cove, ME 04672, USA. achristi@mdibl.org
authors.forename: Andrew E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Christie
authors.forename: Daniel H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Nolan
authors.forename: Zachery A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: McCoole
authors.forename: Sarah M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Harmon
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Congdon-Jones
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: Niko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hartline
authors.forename: Clare Bates
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Congdon
authors.forename: Kevin N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Baer
authors.forename: Petra H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Lenz
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000235:genetics; D019295:Computational Biology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D007447:Invertebrate Hormones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000235:genetics*; D009348:Nematoda / Q000235:genetics; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D058467:Tardigrada / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D007447:Invertebrate Hormones; D009479:Neuropeptides