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Novel members of the adipokinetic hormone family in beetles of the superfamily Scarabaeoidea

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Abstract

Eight beetle species of the superfamily Scarabaeoidea were investigated with respect to peptides belonging to the adipokinetic hormone (AKH) family in their neurohemal organs, the corpora cardiaca (CC). The following beetle families are represented: Scarabaeidae, Lucanidae, and Geotrupidae. AKH peptides were identified through a heterospecific trehalose-mobilizing bioassay and by sequence analyses, using liquid chromatography coupled to positive electrospray mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS) and analysis of the tandem MS2 spectra obtained by collision-induced dissociation. All the beetle species have octapeptide AKHs; some have two AKHs, while others have only one. Novel AKH members were found in Euoniticellus intermedius and Circellium bacchus (family Scarabaeidae), as well as in Dorcus parallelipipedus (family Lucanidae). Two species of the family Geotrupidae and two species of the Scarabaeidae subfamily Cetoniinae contain one known AKH peptide, Melme-CC, while E. intermedius produces a novel peptide code named Euoin-AKH: pEINFTTGWamide. Two AKH peptides were each identified in CC of C. bacchus and D. parallelipipedus: the novel Cirba-AKH: pEFNFSAGWamide and the known peptide, Scade-CC-I in the former, and the novel Dorpa-AKH: pEVNYSPVW amide and the known peptide, Melme-CC in the latter. Kheper bonelli (subfamily Scarabaeinae) also has two AKHs, the known Scade-CC-I and Scade-CC-II. All the novel peptides were synthesized and the amino acid sequence assignments were unequivocally confirmed by co-elution of the synthetic peptides with their natural equivalent, and identical MS parameters of the two forms. The novel synthetic peptides are all active in inducing hypertrehalosemia in cockroaches.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by funds from the National Research Foundation (Pretoria, South Africa; Grant No. 85768 (IFR13020116790 to GG) and IFR2011033100049 to HGM), and by staff awards from the Research Council of the University of Cape Town (to GG and HGM). Financial support of the Czech Science Foundation for PS, project No. 13-18509S, is acknowledged. The authors thank Frank Wolf (Schwaan, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany) for his help with collecting the lesser stag beetle and the two Geotrupidae species; Dr Marcus Byrne (School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa) for the gift of some specimens of E. intermedius; National Parks Board for allowing the collection of C. bacchus; Ms Alukhanyo Xonti (University of Cape Town) for assisting with the biological assays and Mrs Pavla Kruzberska for the LC–MS analyses (Ceske Budejovice).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7700, South Africa

    Gerd Gäde & Heather G. Marco

  2. Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, 37005, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

    Petr Šimek

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  1. Gerd Gäde
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  2. Petr Šimek
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Correspondence to Gerd Gäde.

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All applicable international, national and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

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Handling Editor: M. S. Palma.

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Gäde, G., Šimek, P. & Marco, H.G. Novel members of the adipokinetic hormone family in beetles of the superfamily Scarabaeoidea. Amino Acids 48, 2785–2798 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-016-2314-0

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