The neuropeptide SIFamide in the brain of three cockroach species

The Journal of Comparative Neurology
Andreas ArendtMonika Stengl

Abstract

The sequence as well as the distribution pattern of SIFamide in the brain of different insects is highly conserved. As a general rule, at least four prominent SIFamide-immunoreactive somata occur in the pars intercerebralis. They arborize throughout the brain and the ventral nerve cord. While SIFamide is implicated in mating and sleep regulation in Drosophila, other functions of this peptide remain largely unknown. To determine whether SIFamide plays a role in the circadian system of cockroaches, we studied SIFamide in Rhyparobia (=Leucophaea) maderae (Blaberidae), Periplaneta americana (Blattidae), and Therea petiveriana (Polyphagidae). MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry revealed identical SIFamide sequences (TYRKPPFNGSIFamide) in the three species. Next to four large immunoreactive cells in the pars intercerebralis (group 1), smaller SIFamide immunoreactive somata were detected in the pars intercerebralis (group 2), in the superior median- (group 3), and the lateral protocerebrum (group 4). Additional cells in the optic lobe (group 5) and posterior protocerebrum (group 6) were stained only in P. americana. Almost the entire protocerebrum was filled with a beaded network of SIFamide-immunoreactive processes which especially strongly ...Continue Reading

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