title: Discovery of sea urchin NGFFFamide receptor unites a bilaterian neuropeptide family.
abstract: Neuropeptides are ancient regulators of physiology and behaviour, but reconstruction of neuropeptide evolution is often difficult owing to lack of sequence conservation. Here, we report that the receptor for the neuropeptide NGFFFamide in the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (phylum Echinodermata) is an orthologue of vertebrate neuropeptide-S (NPS) receptors and crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP) receptors. Importantly, this has facilitated reconstruction of the evolution of two bilaterian neuropeptide signalling systems. Genes encoding the precursor of a vasopressin/oxytocin-type neuropeptide and its receptor duplicated in a common ancestor of the Bilateria. One copy of the precursor retained ancestral features, as seen in highly conserved vasopressin/oxytocin-neurophysin-type precursors. The other copy diverged, but this took different courses in protostomes and deuterostomes. In protostomes, the occurrence of a disulfide bridge in neuropeptide product(s) of the precursor was retained, as in CCAP, but with loss of the neurophysin domain. In deuterostomes, we see the opposite scenario-the neuropeptides lost the disulfide bridge, and neurophysin was retained (as in the NGFFFamide precursor) but was subsequently lost in vertebrate NPS precursors. Thus, the sea urchin NGFFFamide precursor and receptor are 'missing links' in the evolutionary history of neuropeptides that control ecdysis in arthropods (CCAP) and regulate anxiety in humans (NPS).
authors.affiliation: School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK.
authors.forename: Dean C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Semmens
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Functional Genomics and Proteomics Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Beets
authors.affiliation: School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK.
authors.forename: Matthew L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.affiliation: School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK.
authors.forename: Liisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Blowes
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Oliveri
authors.affiliation: School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK m.r.elphick@qmul.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Maurice R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Elphick
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000032:analysis / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018013:Receptors, Neuropeptide / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D047270:Strongylocentrotus purpuratus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009479:Neuropeptides; D011498:Protein Precursors; D018013:Receptors, Neuropeptide; C113892:asparaginyl-glycyl-isoleucyl-tryptophyl-tyrosinamide; C058620:crustacean cardioactive peptide
keywords: NGFFFamide; evolution; neuropeptide; neuropeptide-S; receptor; sea urchin