cDNA cloning and transcript distribution of two different neuroparsin precursors in the desert locust, <i>Schistocerca gregaria</i>

Abstract

Neuroparsins were originally identified in locust corpus cardiacum extracts as folliculostatic or 'antigonadotropic' neuropeptides. This paper presents the cloning of two different neuroparsin precursor cDNAs from the brain of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. The first transcript encodes the precursor (Scg-NPP1) of S. gregaria neuroparsin A and B, whereas the second codes for a novel neuroparsin-related peptide precursor (Scg-NPP2). Both precursors display significant sequence similarities with each other and with the Locusta migratoria neuroparsin (Lom-NPP) and Aedes aegypti ovary ecdysteroidogenic hormone (Aea-OEH1) precursors. Northern blot analysis revealed that these neuroparsin transcripts are present in larval and adult locust brains. Interestingly, the Scg-NPP2 mRNA content proved to be strongly regulated during the reproductive cycle in both adult males and females.