Ancient role of vasopressin/oxytocin-type neuropeptides as regulators of feeding revealed in an echinoderm

BMC Biology
Esther A OdekunleMaurice R Elphick

Abstract

Vasopressin/oxytocin (VP/OT)-type neuropeptides are well known for their roles as regulators of diuresis, reproductive physiology and social behaviour. However, our knowledge of their functions is largely based on findings from studies on vertebrates and selected protostomian invertebrates. Little is known about the roles of VP/OT-type neuropeptides in deuterostomian invertebrates, which are more closely related to vertebrates than protostomes. Here, we have identified and functionally characterised a VP/OT-type signalling system comprising the neuropeptide asterotocin and its cognate G-protein coupled receptor in the starfish (sea star) Asterias rubens, a deuterostomian invertebrate belonging to the phylum Echinodermata. Analysis of the distribution of asterotocin and the asterotocin receptor in A. rubens using mRNA in situ hybridisation and immunohistochemistry revealed expression in the central nervous system (radial nerve cords and circumoral nerve ring), the digestive system (including the cardiac stomach) and the body wall and associated appendages. Informed by the anatomy of asterotocin signalling, in vitro pharmacological experiments revealed that asterotocin acts as a muscle relaxant in starfish, contrasting with the m...Continue Reading

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Citations

May 5, 2020·Frontiers in Endocrinology·Esther A Odekunle, Maurice R Elphick
May 29, 2021·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Hugh F CarterPaola Oliveri
Jul 3, 2021·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Claudia Camerino

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Datasets Mentioned

BETA
MK279533

Methods Mentioned

BETA
amidation
PCR
Transfection
transfections
serum collection
ELISA
Fluorescence

Software Mentioned

MEGA7
Clustal
SequenceServer
GraphPad
Leica Application Suite Advanced Fluorescence ( LAS AF
Adobe Photoshop CC
FigTree
tBLASTn
BLAST
Adobe Photoshop

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