Neuropeptide Control of Ecdysone Biosynthesis

蜕皮激素生物合成的神经肽控制

• 批准号: 8802108
• 负责人: Lawrence Gilbert
• 金额: $ 20.56万
• 依托单位: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1988
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1988-10-15 至 1992-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8802108&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Neuropeptide; Control; Ecdysone; Biosynthesis

The prothoracic glands of insects synthesize and secrete a class of steroidal hormones known as ecdysteroids and it is these ecdysteroids that cause cellular reprogramming and elicit molting (synthesis of a new exoskeleton so that the insect can grow). The control of prothoracic gland activity, therefore, is instrumental in the success of insects on this planet and the main regulatory component for this control is a neuropeptide secreted by the brain of the insect, prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) which stimulates the prothoracic glands to synthesize and secrete ecdysteroids. The aim of this project is to determine at the cellular and biochemical levels how this peptide hormone acts on the prothoracic gland to cause the synthesis of ecdysteroids. The principal investigators' work thus far indicates that the action of PTTH on the prothoracic glands is quite similar to the action of the vertebrate ACTH on the adrenal glands. That is, the peptide acts at the surface of the gland causing the activation of a specific enzyme, adenylate cyclase, causing an increase within the cells of the gland of a second messenger molecule, cyclic AMP (cAMP). The cyclic AMP, in turn, activates specific enzymes known as protein kinases which have the ability to add a phosphate to other proteins and thus "activate" these proteins. It is their plan to identify the proteins that are activated and determine their regulatory role in ecdysteroid biosynthesis. In addition, the investigators intend to examine further the role of calcium in the activation of the adenylate cyclase to determine whether PTTH acts on the prothoracic gland cell by opening a channel through the membrane of the cell, the calcium channel, and that it is the calcium-calmodulin system within the cell that directly affects the adenylate cyclase. These studies have significance for all animals including man because of the close analogy between the PTTH-prothoracic gland axis and the ACTH-adrenal cortex axis. In addition, insects are the most prevalent form of animal life on this planet and it is obvious that one should learn more about these very successful organisms from an academic point of view and because with such information they may be able to design better means for controlling harmful insects. Insects are of great importance as vectors of disease and as devastators of agricultural products. By interfering with the insect's molting process, one could theoretically control specific insect populations.

昆虫的前胸腺合成并分泌一类 被称为蜕皮激素的类固醇激素， 蜕皮激素，引起细胞重编程和引发蜕皮 （合成新的外骨骼，使昆虫能够生长）。 因此，对前胸腺活动的控制是 对昆虫在这个星球上的成功至关重要， 这种控制的主要调节成分是神经肽 由昆虫的大脑分泌，促前胸激素 （PTTH）刺激前胸腺合成， 分泌蜕皮激素 该项目的目的是确定在 这种肽激素在细胞和生物化学水平上的作用 引起蜕皮类固醇的合成。 到目前为止，主要调查人员的工作表明， PTTH对前胸腺的作用与 脊椎动物ACTH对肾上腺的作用。 也就是说， 肽作用于腺体表面， 一种特殊的酶，腺苷酸环化酶的激活， 第二信使的腺体细胞内增加 分子，环腺苷酸（cAMP）。 环磷酸腺苷反过来激活 被称为蛋白激酶的特殊酶， 将磷酸盐添加到其他蛋白质中，从而“激活”这些蛋白质， proteins. 他们的计划是鉴定出 激活并确定它们在蜕皮激素中的调节作用 生物合成 此外，调查人员还打算调查 进一步研究了钙在腺苷酸活化中的作用， 环化酶，以确定PTTH是否作用于前胸腺 通过打开穿过细胞膜的通道来刺激细胞， 钙通道，它是钙-钙调素系统 直接影响腺苷酸环化酶。 这些研究对包括人类在内的所有动物都有意义 因为PTTH和前胸腺之间的相似性 轴和ACTH-肾上腺皮质轴。 此外，昆虫 是这个星球上最普遍的动物形式 显然，人们应该更多地了解这些非常成功的 从学术的角度来看，因为有了这样的 他们可以设计更好的方法来获取信息， 控制有害昆虫。 昆虫非常重要， 疾病的传播媒介和农产品的分解者。 通过干扰昆虫的蜕皮过程， 理论上控制特定的昆虫种群。