Genome-Wide Identification of Neuropeptides and Their Receptors in an Aphid Endoparasitoid Wasp, Aphidius gifuensi

In insects, neuropeptides and their receptors not only play a critical role in insect physiology and behavior but also are the potential targets for novel pesticide discoveries. Aphidius gifuensis is one of the most important and widespread aphid parasitoids, and has been successfully used to control aphid. In the present work, we systematically identified neuropeptides and their receptors from the genome and head transcriptome of A. gifuensis. A total of 35 neuropeptide precursors and 49 corresponding receptors were identified. The phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that 35 of these receptors belong to family-A, four belong to family-B, two belong to leucine-rich repeat-containing GPCRs, four belong to receptor guanylyl cyclases, and four belong to receptor tyrosine kinases. Oral ingestion of imidacloprid significantly up-regulated five neuropeptide precursors and four receptors whereas three neuropeptide precursors and eight receptors were significantly down-regulated, which indicated that these neuropeptides and their receptors are potential targets of some commercial insecticides. The RT-qPCR results showed that dopamine receptor 1, dopamine receptor 2, octopamine receptor, allatostatin-A receptor, neuropeptides capa receptor, SIFamide receptor, FMRFamide receptor, tyramine receptor and short neuropeptide F predominantly were expressed in the head whilst the expression of ion transport peptide showed widespread distribution in various tissues. The high expression levels of these genes suggest their important roles in the central nervous system. Taken together, our study provides fundamental information that may further our understanding of neuropeptidergic signaling systems in the regulation of the physiology and behavior of solitary wasps. Furthermore, this information could also aid in the design and discovery of specific and environment-friendly insecticides.

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Occurrence of Cyclic di-GMP-Modulating Output Domains in Cyanobacteria: an Illuminating Perspective

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.00451-13 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Marco Agostoni ◽

Benjamin J. Koestler ◽

Christopher M. Waters ◽

Barry L. Williams ◽

Beronda L. Montgomery

Keyword(s):

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Critical Role ◽

Second Messenger ◽

Habitat Characteristics ◽

Evolutionary Origin ◽

Signaling Systems ◽

Cyanobacterial Species ◽

Output Domain

ABSTRACTMicroorganisms use a variety of metabolites to respond to external stimuli, including second messengers that amplify primary signals and elicit biochemical changes in a cell. Levels of the second messenger cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP) are regulated by a variety of environmental stimuli and play a critical role in regulating cellular processes such as biofilm formation and cellular motility. Cyclic di-GMP signaling systems have been largely characterized in pathogenic bacteria; however, proteins that can impact the synthesis or degradation of c-di-GMP are prominent in cyanobacterial species and yet remain largely underexplored. In cyanobacteria, many putative c-di-GMP synthesis or degradation domains are found in genes that also harbor light-responsive signal input domains, suggesting that light is an important signal for altering c-di-GMP homeostasis. Indeed, c-di-GMP-associated domains are often the second most common output domain in photoreceptors—outnumbered only by a histidine kinase output domain. Cyanobacteria differ from other bacteria regarding the number and types of photoreceptor domains associated with c-di-GMP domains. Due to the widespread distribution of c-di-GMP domains in cyanobacteria, we investigated the evolutionary origin of a subset of genes. Phylogenetic analyses showed that c-di-GMP signaling systems were present early in cyanobacteria and c-di-GMP genes were both vertically and horizontally inherited during their evolution. Finally, we compared intracellular levels of c-di-GMP in two cyanobacterial species under different light qualities, confirming that light is an important factor for regulating this second messengerin vivo.IMPORTANCEThis study shows that many proteins containing cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP)-regulatory domains in cyanobacteria are associated with photoreceptor domains. Although the functional roles of c-di-GMP domain-containing proteins in cyanobacteria are only beginning to emerge, the abundance of these multidomain proteins in cyanobacteria that occupy diverse habitats ranging from freshwater to marine to soil environments suggests an important role for the regulation of c-di-GMP in these organisms. Indeed, we showed that light distinctly regulates c-di-GMP levels inFremyella diplosiphonand Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803. Our findings are consistent with the occurrence of c-di-GMP domains based on evolutionary origin and as an adaptation to specific habitat characteristics. Phylogenetic analyses of these domains clearly separate two distinctive clades, one composed of domains belonging predominantly to cyanobacteria and the other belonging to a mix of cyanobacteria and other bacteria. We further demonstrate that in cyanobacteria the acquisition of c-di-GMP signaling domains occurred both vertically and horizontally.

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Assessment of Risk Factors for Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 among Iranian Patients

10.32592/ircmj.2020.22.9.72 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Immune System ◽

Medical Records ◽

Critical Role ◽

Diabetic Patients ◽

Medication History ◽

Epidemiological Features ◽

Hookah Smoking ◽

And Behavior ◽

Iranian Patients

Background: The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a major concern for those who are more vulnerable to infections. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the most important risk factors for severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods: This retrospective study included information on clinical and epidemiological features of 105 patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia hospitalized in Tajrish Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Initially, the medical records of the patients were investigated, and an interview was conducted based on a pre-prepared checklist to seek information about symptoms, past medical history, medication history, and behavior before hospitalization. Results: Out of 105 participants, 76 (72.5%) cases were male, and 54 (51.4%) patients were older than 54 years old. The majority of the patients (n=18; 17.1%) had both hypertension and diabetes (n=12; 11.4%). Metformin (n=36; 34.3%) was the most used medication amongst the studied patient. In addition, 24 (22.9%) patients were recreational hookah smokers, and the majority (75%) of them were under the age of 46 years old. Eventually, 19 patients were excluded from the study, of whom 11 individuals had diabetes, and 10 cases were using metformin. Conclusion: Apparently, hookah smoking played a critical role in the spread of COVID-19 in Iran and has made younger people more susceptible. In addition to older age, the immunosuppressive effects of Metformin seem to make diabetic patients with an impaired immune system more vulnerable to severe COVID-19 pneumonia. More studies on the immune system of vulnerable individuals by identifying their differences can help to protect them.

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Characterization of the direct pathway in Dyt1 ΔGAG heterozygous knock-in mice and dopamine receptor 1-expressing-cell-specific Dyt1 conditional knockout mice

Behavioural Brain Research ◽

10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113381 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 113381

Author(s):

Fumiaki Yokoi ◽

Huan-Xin Chen ◽

Janneth Oleas ◽

Mai Tu Dang ◽

Hong Xing ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dopamine Receptor ◽

Knockout Mice ◽

Conditional Knockout ◽

Conditional Knockout Mice ◽

Direct Pathway ◽

Dopamine Receptor 1

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Deconstructing and Reconstructing the Dichotomy That Is Dopamine Receptor-1– and Dopamine Receptor-2–Expressing Neurons

Biological Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.10.007 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 84 (12) ◽

pp. 862-864 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Peter W. Kalivas

Keyword(s):

Dopamine Receptor ◽

Dopamine Receptor 1

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An essential role of acetylcholine-glutamate synergy at habenular synapses in nicotine dependence

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.11396 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Silke Frahm ◽

Beatriz Antolin-Fontes ◽

Andreas Görlich ◽

Johannes-Friedrich Zander ◽

Gudrun Ahnert-Hilger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Synaptic Vesicles ◽

Critical Role ◽

Conditioned Reward ◽

Quantal Size ◽

Medial Habenula ◽

Vesicular Transporters ◽

Circuit Function ◽

And Behavior ◽

Presynaptic Facilitation

A great deal of interest has been focused recently on the habenula and its critical role in aversion, negative-reward and drug dependence. Using a conditional mouse model of the ACh-synthesizing enzyme choline acetyltransferase (Chat), we report that local elimination of acetylcholine (ACh) in medial habenula (MHb) neurons alters glutamate corelease and presynaptic facilitation. Electron microscopy and immuno-isolation analyses revealed colocalization of ACh and glutamate vesicular transporters in synaptic vesicles (SVs) in the central IPN. Glutamate reuptake in SVs prepared from the IPN was increased by ACh, indicating vesicular synergy. Mice lacking CHAT in habenular neurons were insensitive to nicotine-conditioned reward and withdrawal. These data demonstrate that ACh controls the quantal size and release frequency of glutamate at habenular synapses, and suggest that the synergistic functions of ACh and glutamate may be generally important for modulation of cholinergic circuit function and behavior.

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Constitutive activity of dopamine receptor type 1 (D1R) increases CaV2.2 currents in PFC neurons

The Journal of General Physiology ◽

10.1085/jgp.201912492 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 152 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Clara Inés McCarthy ◽

Cambria Chou-Freed ◽

Silvia Susana Rodríguez ◽

Agustín Yaneff ◽

Carlos Davio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dopamine Receptor ◽

Pyramidal Neurons ◽

Critical Role ◽

Intraperitoneal Administration ◽

Brain Slices ◽

Physiological Role ◽

Receptor Type ◽

Constitutive Activity ◽

Medial Pfc

Alterations in dopamine receptor type 1 (D1R) density are associated with cognitive deficits of aging and schizophrenia. In the prefrontal cortex (PFC), D1R plays a critical role in the regulation of working memory, which is impaired in these cognitive deficit states, but the cellular events triggered by changes in D1R expression remain unknown. A previous report demonstrated that interaction between voltage-gated calcium channel type 2.2 (CaV2.2) and D1R stimulates CaV2.2 postsynaptic surface location in medial PFC pyramidal neurons. Here, we show that in addition to the occurrence of the physical receptor-channel interaction, constitutive D1R activity mediates up-regulation of functional CaV2.2 surface density. We performed patch-clamp experiments on transfected HEK293T cells and wild-type C57BL/6 mouse brain slices, as well as imaging experiments and cAMP measurements. We found that D1R coexpression led to ∼60% increase in CaV2.2 currents in HEK293T cells. This effect was occluded by preincubation with a D1/D5R inverse agonist, chlorpromazine, and by replacing D1R with a D1R mutant lacking constitutive activity. Moreover, D1R-induced increase in CaV2.2 currents required basally active Gs protein, as well as D1R-CaV2.2 interaction. In mice, intraperitoneal administration of chlorpromazine reduced native CaV currents’ sensitivity to ω-conotoxin-GVIA and their size by ∼49% in layer V/VI pyramidal neurons from medial PFC, indicating a selective effect on CaV2.2. Additionally, we found that reducing D1/D5R constitutive activity correlates with a decrease in the agonist-induced D1/D5R inhibitory effect on native CaV currents. Our results could be interpreted as a stimulatory effect of D1R constitutive activity on the number of CaV2.2 channels available for dopamine-mediated modulation. Our results contribute to the understanding of the physiological role of D1R constitutive activity and may explain the noncanonical postsynaptic distribution of functional CaV2.2 in PFC neurons.

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Decreased dopamine receptor 1 activity and impaired motor-skill transfer in Dyt1 ΔGAG heterozygous knock-in mice

Behavioural Brain Research ◽

10.1016/j.bbr.2014.11.037 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 279 ◽

pp. 202-210 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Fumiaki Yokoi ◽

Mai T. Dang ◽

Jun Liu ◽

Jason R. Gandre ◽

Kelly Kwon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dopamine Receptor ◽

Motor Skill ◽

Skill Transfer ◽

Dopamine Receptor 1

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PAH- and PCB-induced Alterations of Protein Tyrosine Kinase and Cytokine Gene Transcription in Harbor Seal (Phoca Vitulina) PBMC

Clinical and Developmental Immunology ◽

10.1080/17402520500116624 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 91-97 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Jennifer C. C. Neale ◽

Thomas P. Kenny ◽

Ronald S. Tjeerdema ◽

M. Eric Gershwin

Keyword(s):

T Cell ◽

T Cell Activation ◽

Tyrosine Kinases ◽

Cell Activation ◽

Critical Role ◽

Harbor Seal ◽

Lymphocyte Function ◽

Altered Expression ◽

Protein Tyrosine

Mechanisms underlyingin vitroimmunomodulatory effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were investigated in harbor seal peripheral leukocytes, via real-time PCR. We examined the relative genetic expression of the protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs)FynandItk, which play a critical role in T cell activation, and IL-2, a cytokine of central importance in initiating adaptive immune responses. IL-1, the macrophage-derived pro-inflammatory cytokine of innate immunity, was also included as a measure of macrophage function. Harbor seal PBMC were exposed to the prototypic immunotoxic PAH benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-169), a model immunotoxic PCB, or DMSO (vehicle control). Exposure of Con A-stimulated harbor seal PBMC to both BaP and CB-169 produced significantly altered expression in all four targets relative to vehicle controls. The PTKsFynandItkwere both up-regulated following exposure to BaP and CB-169. In contrast, transcripts for IL-2 and IL-1 were decreased relative to controls by both treatments. Our findings are consistent with those of previous researchers working with human and rodent systems and support a hypothesis of contaminant-altered lymphocyte function mediated (at least in part) by disruption of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling and cytokine production.

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