Neuropeptides as regulators of sesquiterpenoid biosynthesis in arthropods

幼体激素（JH）是大多数昆虫从幼虫到成虫（变态）和产卵（繁殖）的主要调节剂。JH必须在适当的时间存在，以刺激幼虫性状的保留或卵的生长。没有它，这些过程就不会发生。因此，在不适当的时间存在JH将破坏昆虫的正常功能。我的实验室专注于在害虫物种（包括蟑螂、飞蛾和苍蝇）中开启和关闭JH生产的天然化合物，我们的主要重点是负责关闭JH生产的化合物。我们发现了一个被称为allatostatins的多肽家族（短链氨基酸），它能够抑制JH的产生。我们最近的一些工作是针对这些肽的模拟物的开发，这些肽可以抵抗分解并能够破坏卵子的产生。为此，我们也一直在寻找其他害虫（如苍蝇）中产生JH的抑虫素调节因子，因为目前我们对此类化合物的了解主要局限于蟑螂。蟑螂体内有许多相关的抑化抑素，但我们知道这些抑化抑素与其他害虫（如飞蛾和苍蝇）中的抑化抑素不同。这意味着allatostatins具有高度特异性，仅作用于一小部分昆虫，并且有可能利用这种特异性，通过定制特定的肽模拟物仅作用于特定物种。我们的工作也集中在化抑素受体上，这是负责化抑素信号翻译的细胞关键，因为这些分子必须存在于昆虫的组织中，才能使它们对化抑素做出反应。受体的表达可能允许农化工业寻找抑制JH产生的其他化合物。我们也在研究甲壳类动物（包括龙虾、虾和蟹）中与jh相关的化合物，以期确定甲壳类动物繁殖的调节因子和控制其产生的肽。通过促进生长和繁殖，这些资料可能对龙虾、螃蟹和虾的商业水产养殖有价值。

Juvenile hormone (JH) is the primary regulator of both the change in body form from larva to adult (metamorphosis) and the production of eggs (reproduction) in most insect species. JH must be present at appropriate times to stimulate the retention of larval characters or the growth of eggs. In its absence, these processes do not occur. Therefore the presence of JH at inappropriate times will disrupt the normal functioning of the insect. My laboratory has focused on the natural compounds that turn JH production on and off in pest species including cockroaches, moths and flies, with our major emphasis on the compounds responsible for turning JH production off. We have discovered a family of peptides (short chains of amino acids) termed allatostatins that are able to inhibit the production of JH. Some of our recent work has been directed to the development of mimics of these peptides that are resistant to breakdown and able to disrupt egg production. To this end, we have also been searching for additional allatostatin regulators of JH production in other pest species such as flies, since at present our knowledge of such compounds is largely confined to cockroaches. There are many related allatostatins in cockroaches but we know that these differ from those in other pest species such as moths and flies. This implies that allatostatins are highly specific, acting only on a narrow range of insects and it may be possible to exploit this specificity, by tailoring specific peptide mimics to act only on specific species. Our work has also focused on the receptors for allatostatins, the cellular keys responsible for the translation of the allatostatin signal since these molecules must be present in the insect's tissues to permit them to respond to the allatostatins. Expression of the receptors may permit the agrochemical industry to search for additional compounds that suppress JH production. We are also studying the JH-related compounds in the crustaceans, including lobster, shrimp and crab, with a view to identifying the regulators of crustacean reproduction and the peptides controlling their production. Such information may prove valuable to commercial aquaculture of lobster crab and shrimp, through the enhancement of growth and reproduction.