SGER-Rapid Assessment of the Expression of Insect FXPRLamides in Copepods and White Shrimp Using Immunohistochemistry and Western Blot Analysis

【摘要】标题：免疫组化和Western Blot分析水生桡足类和白虾昆虫神经肽的研究[j]: Williams， j .在水生生态系统中，桡足类是数量上最占优势的生物，具有重要的生态意义，是捕食/食饵营养系统的关键环节。桡足类的陆地同类是昆虫，桡足类经常被称为“海洋昆虫”。关于昆虫的生理途径有大量的信息，但对桡足动物的生理途径知之甚少。在这个提议中要验证的中心假设是，基于桡足类和昆虫具有相似的生活史策略的知识；这两个类群的神经激素和神经肽调控机制也可能是相似的。在这项研究中，“昆虫神经肽”家族FXPRLamides的免疫反应性将在淡水桡足动物（Cyclops sp.）、河口桡足动物（Acartia sp.）和商业白虾（Litopenaeus setiferus）的幼年和成年阶段进行测试。该神经肽家族是一个已被充分研究的神经肽群，在昆虫中产生控制信息素产生、黑色素化、肌促性活性、蛹化和滞育的神经肽是重要的，并且可能在桡足类动物中也有多种作用。初步数据表明，一种信息素合成激素在昆虫、桡足类动物、蚂蚁、蜜蜂和穴居虾中都有表达。由于FXPRLamide家族的一种神经肽PBAN（费洛蒙生物合成激活神经肽）拮抗剂正在被开发用于改变或抑制害虫的发育，因此确定水生甲壳类动物是否表达与昆虫相同的神经肽是很重要的。如果昆虫神经肽具有影响水生甲壳类动物种群的潜力，那么使用昆虫神经肽来控制昆虫就有可能成为一个严重的环境问题，因为用于控制害虫的化学物质可能最终进入水生生态系统。本项目将为确定这些重要神经肽在水生甲壳类动物不同生活史阶段的存在和活性水平，以及昆虫神经肽拮抗剂是否会影响它们的发育和存活提供重要的第一步。

AbstractTitle: Investigation of Insect Neuropeptides in Aquatic Copepods and White Shrimp using Immunohistochemistry and Western Blot AnalysisPI: Williams, J.In aquatic ecosystems, copepods are the most numerically dominant organisms, are ecologically significant, and are a key link in predator/prey trophic system. The terrestrial counterparts to copepods are insects and copepods have often been called the 'insects of the sea'. Extensive information exists on physiological pathways in insects, but little is known about copepod physiology. The central hypothesis to be tested in this proposal is that based on the knowledge that copepods and insects share similar life history strategies; it is likely that the controlling mechanism, that is the neurohormones and neuropeptides, also may be similar among these two taxa. In this study immunoreactivity of the 'insect neuropeptide' family, the FXPRLamides, will be tested in juvenile and adult stages of a freshwater copepod (Cyclops sp.), an estuarine copepod (Acartia sp.) and the commercial white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus). This neuropeptide family is a well-characterized group, which is important to producing neuropeptides controlling pheromone production, melanization, myotropic activity, pupariation and diapause in insects and may expected to have multiple effects in copepods as well. Preliminary data suggest that a pheromone synthesizing hormone is expressed in insects, copepods, ants, honeybees and a burrowing shrimp. It is important to determine if aquatic crustacea express the same neuropeptides as insects because antagonists to PBAN (pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide), one of the neuropeptides of the FXPRLamide family, are presently being developed to alter or inhibit the development of insect pests. If insect neuropeptides have the potential of effecting aquatic crustacean population, then the use of insect neuropeptides for insect control has the potential of becoming a serious environmental problem, as chemicals sprayed for insect pest controls can end up in aquatic ecosystems. This project will provide an important first step in determining the presence and level of activity of these important neuropeptides in various life history stages of aquatic crustaceans and whether or not antagonists against insect neuropeptides may affect their development and survival.