title: Molecular insights into land snail neuropeptides through transcriptome and comparative gene analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Snails belong to the molluscan class Gastropoda, which inhabit land, freshwater and marine environments. Several land snail species, including Theba pisana, are crop pests of major concern, causing extensive damage to agriculture and horticulture. A deeper understanding of their molecular biology is necessary in order to develop methods to manipulate land snail populations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The present study used in silico gene data mining of T. pisana tissue transcriptomes to predict 24,920 central nervous system (CNS) proteins, 37,661 foot muscle proteins and 40,766 hepatopancreas proteins, which together have 5,236 unique protein functional domains. Neuropeptides, metabolic enzymes and epiphragmin genes dominated expression within the CNS, hepatopancreas and muscle, respectively. Further investigation of the CNS transcriptome demonstrated that it might contain as many as 5,504 genes that encode for proteins destined for extracellular secretion. Neuropeptides form an important class of cell-cell messengers that control or influence various complex metabolic events. A total of 35 full-length neuropeptide genes were abundantly expressed within T. pisana CNS, encoding precursors that release molluscan-type bioactive neuropeptide products. These included achatin, allototropin, conopressin, elevenin, FMRFamide, LFRFamide, LRFNVamide, myomodulins, neurokinin Y, PKYMDT, PXFVamide, sCAPamides and several insulin-like peptides. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of neural ganglia confirmed the presence of many of these neuropeptides.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results provide the most comprehensive picture of the molecular genes and proteins associated with land snail functioning, including the repertoire of neuropeptides that likely play significant roles in neuroendocrine signalling. This information has the potential to expedite the study of molluscan metabolism and potentially stimulate advances in the biological control of land snail pest species.
authors.affiliation: Genecology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558, Australia. kevada@bigpond.net.au.
authors.forename: Kevin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Adamson
authors.affiliation: Genecology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558, Australia. twang@usc.edu.au.
authors.forename: Tianfang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Genecology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558, Australia. mzhao@usc.edu.au.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Genecology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558, Australia. francescabell2011@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.affiliation: Genecology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558, Australia. akuballa@usc.edu.au.
authors.forename: Anna V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Kuballa
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry & Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada. kenneth_storey@carleton.ca.
authors.forename: Kenneth B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Storey
authors.affiliation: Genecology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558, Australia. scummins@usc.edu.au.
authors.forename: Scott F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Cummins
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism; D055028:Comparative Genomic Hybridization; D019835:FMRFamide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D043143:Hepatopancreas / Q000378:metabolism; D061385:Insulins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008978:Mollusk Venoms / Q000378:metabolism; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D043484:Proprotein Convertases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012908:Snails / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D061385:Insulins; D008978:Mollusk Venoms; D009479:Neuropeptides; C076523:allatostatin; D019835:FMRFamide; D043484:Proprotein Convertases