CRF-Like Diuretic Hormone Negatively Affects Both Feeding and Reproduction in the Desert Locust, Schistocerca gregaria

Diuretic hormones (DH) related to the vertebrate Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF) have been identified in diverse insect species. In the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria, the CRF-like DH (CRF/DH) is localized in the same neurosecretory cells as the Ovary Maturating Parsin (OMP), a neurohormone that stimulates oocyte growth, vitellogenesis and hemolymph ecdysteroid levels in adult female locusts. In this study, we investigated whether CRF-like DH can influence feeding and reproduction in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. We identified two highly similar S. gregaria CRF-like DH precursor cDNAs, each of which also encodes an OMP isoform. Alignment with other insect CRF-like DH precursors shows relatively high conservation of the CRF/DH sequence while the precursor region corresponding to OMP is not well conserved. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR revealed that the precursor transcripts mainly occur in the central nervous system and their highest expression level was observed in the brain. Injection of locust CRF/DH caused a significantly reduced food intake, while RNAi knockdown stimulated food intake. Therefore, our data indicate that CRF-like DH induces satiety. Furthermore, injection of CRF/DH in adult females retarded oocyte growth and caused lower ecdysteroid titers in hemolymph and ovaries, while RNAi knockdown resulted in opposite effects. The observed effects of CRF/DH may be part of a wider repertoire of neurohormonal activities, constituting an integrating control system that affects food intake and excretion, as well as anabolic processes like oocyte growth and ecdysteroidogenesis, following a meal. Our discussion about the functional relationship between CRF/DH and OMP led to the hypothesis that OMP may possibly act as a monitoring peptide that can elicit negative feedback effects

Do Aptamers Always Bind? The Need for a Multifaceted Analytical Approach When Demonstrating Binding Affinity between Aptamer and Low Molecular Weight Compounds

In this manuscript, we compare different analytical methodologies to validate or disprove the binding capabilities of aptamer sequences. This was prompted by the lack of a universally accepted and robust quality control protocol for the characterization of aptamer performances coupled with the observation of independent yet inconsistent data sets in the literature. As an example, we chose three aptamers with a reported affinity in the nanomolar range for ampicillin, a β-lactam antibiotic, used as biorecognition elements in several detection strategies described in the literature. Application of a well-known colorimetric assay based on aggregation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) yielded conflicting results with respect to the original report. Therefore, ampicillin binding was evaluated in solution using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), native nano-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (native nESI-MS), and 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR). By coupling the thermodynamic data obtained with ITC with the structural information on the binding event given by native nESI-MS and 1H NMR we could verify that none of the ampicillin aptamers show any specific binding with their intended target. The effect of AuNPs on the binding event was studied by both ITC and 1H NMR, again without providing positive evidence of ampicillin binding. To validate the performance of our analytical approach, we investigated two well-characterized aptamers for cocaine/quinine (MN4), chosen for its nanomolar range affinity, and l-argininamide (1OLD) to show the versatility of our approach. The results clearly indicate the need for a multifaceted analytical approach, to unequivocally establish the actual detection potential and performance of aptamers aimed at small organic molecules

5-aminothiazoles reveal a new ligand-binding site on prolyl oligopeptidase which is important for modulation of its protein-protein interaction-derived functions

Abstract: A series of novel 5-aminothiazole-based ligands for prolyl oligopeptidase (PREP) comprise selective, potent modulators of the protein-protein interaction (PPI)-mediated functions of PREP, although they are only weak inhibitors of the proteolytic activity of PREP. The disconnected structure-activity relationships are significantly more pronounced for the 5-aminothiazole-based ligands than for the earlier published 5-aminooxazole-based ligands. Furthermore, the stability of the 5-aminothiazole scaffold allowed exploration of wider substitution patterns than that was possible with the 5-aminooxazole scaffold. The intriguing structure-activity relationships for the modulation of the proteolytic activity and PPI-derived functions of PREP were elaborated by presenting a new binding site for PPI modulating PREP ligands, which was initially discovered using molecular modeling and later confirmed through point mutation studies. Our results suggest that this new binding site on PREP is clearly more important than the active site of PREP for the modulation of its PPI-mediated functions

Vitellogenin-RNAi and ovariectomy each increase lifespan, increase protein storage, and decrease feeding, but are not additive in grasshoppers

Reduced reproduction has been shown to increase lifespan in many animals, yet the mechanisms behind this trade-off are unclear. We addressed this question by combining two distinct, direct means of life-extension via reduced reproduction, to test whether they were additive. In the lubber grasshopper, Romalea microptera, ovariectomized (OVX) individuals had a ~20 % increase in lifespan and a doubling of storage relative to controls (Sham operated). Similarly, young female grasshoppers treated with RNAi against vitellogenin (the precursor to egg yolk protein) had increased fat body mass and halted ovarian growth. In this study, we compared VgRNAi to two control groups that do not reduce reproduction, namely buffer injection (Buffer) and injection with RNAi against a hexameric storage protein (Hex90RNAi). Each injection treatment was tested with and without ovariectomy. Hence, we tested feeding, storage, and lifespans in six groups: OVX and Buffer, OVX and Hex90RNAi, OVX and VgRNAi, Sham and Buffer, Sham and Hex90RNAi, and Sham and VgRNAi. Ovariectomized grasshoppers and VgRNAi grasshoppers each had similar reductions in feeding (~40 %), increases in protein storage in the hemolymph (150–300 %), and extensions in lifespan (13–21 %). Ovariectomized grasshoppers had higher vitellogenin protein levels than did VgRNAi grasshoppers. Last but not least, when ovariectomy and VgRNAi were applied together, there was no greater effect on feeding, protein storage, or longevity. Hence, feeding regulation, and protein storage in insects, may be conserved components of life-extension via reduced reproduction