Abstract
Four neuropeptides have been isolated and sequenced from acetone extracts of brains of the horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus. They belong to a newly discovered peptide family in invertebrates. A possible role of the four peptides from Limulus as cardioregulatory neurotransmitters has been tested on the isolated Limulus heart. Three of the peptides (DEGHKMLYFamide, GHSLLHFamide, and PDHHMMYFamide) produce dose-dependent decreases in both amplitude and rate of the heart contractions, whereas DHGNMLYFamide reduces only the amplitude of the heartbeat. All four peptides differ in threshold, potency and duration of their effects.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- DIC:
-
diisopropylcarbodiimide
- DTT:
-
dithiotreitol
- Fmoc:
-
9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl
- GABA:
-
gamma amino butyric acid
- HOBt:
-
N-hydroxybenzotriazole
- HPLC:
-
high performance liquid chromatography
- IBMX:
-
3-isobutyl 1-methyl-xanthine
- Lip-HP:
-
Limulus head peptide
- LP:
-
Limulus peptide
- TBTU:
-
2-(1H-benzotriazole-1yl)-1,1,3,3,tetramethyluronium tetrafluoroborate
- TFA:
-
trifluoroacetic acid
- TLC:
-
thin-layer chromatography
References
Augustine GJ, Fetterer R, Watson WH III (1982) Amine modulation of the neurogenic Limulus heart. J Neurobiol 13:61–74
Carlson AJ (1904a) The nature of action of drugs on the heart (preliminary note). Science 20:684–689
Carlson AJ (1904b) The nervous origin of the heartbeat and the nervous nature of coordination in the heart. Am J Physiol 12:67–74
Cuthbert BA, Evans PD (1989) A comparison of the effects of FMRFamide-like peptides on locust heart and sceletal muscle. J Exp Biol 144:395–415
Diaz-Miranda L, Price DA, Greenberg MJ, Lee TD, Doble KE, Garcia-Arrarás JE (1992) Characterization of two novel neuropeptides from the seacucumber Holothuria glaberrima. Biol Bull 182:241–247
Duve H, Elia AJ, Orchard I, Johnsen AH, Thorpe A (1993) The effect of CalliFMRFamides and other FMRFamide-related neuropeptides on the activity of the heart of the bowfly Calliphora vomitoria. J Insect Physiol 39:31–40
Edwards SC, Pierce SK, Battelle BA (1979) Hypoosmotic stress-induced release of octopamine from isolated cardiac ganglia of Limulus polyphemus. Am Zool 19:859
Fiedler A (1992) The possible role of vena cava peptides in regulation of the branchial hearts of Sepia officinalis L. (Cephalopoda). J Exp Zool 264:136–143
Fujimoto K, Kubota I, Yasuda-Kamatani Y, Minakata H, Nomoto K, Yoshida M, Harada A, Muneoka Y, Kobayashi M (1991) Purification of Achatin-1 from the atria of the african giant snail, Achatina fulica, and its possible function. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 177:847–853
Gaus G, Casaretto M, Stieve H (1992) Effects of cardioinhibitory peptides from Limulus polyphemus. Biol Chem Hoppe-Seyler 372:948–949
Gaus G, Doble KE, Price DA, Greenberg MJ, Lee TD, Battelle BA (1993) The sequences of five neuropeptides isolated from Limulus using antisera to FMRFamide. Biol Bull 184:322–329
Greenberg MJ, Price DA (1992) Relationships among the FMRFamide-like peptides. Prog Brain Res 92:25–37
Groome JR, Watson WH III (1987) Mechanism for amine modulation of the neurogenic Limulus heart: evidence for involvement of cAMP. J Neurobiol 18:417–431
Groome JR, Watson WH III (1991) Cardioregulatory peptides in Limulus: effects of F1, F2 and an endogenous FMRFamide-like peptide on the neurogenic heart. Biol Bull 181:353
Groome JR, Tillinghast MA, Townley A, Vetrovs A, Watson WH III, Hunt DF, Griffin PR, Alexander JE, Shabanowitz J (1990) Identification of protolin in the central nervous system of the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus. Peptides 11:205–211
Knorr R, Trzeciak A, Bannwarth W, Gillessen D (1989) New coupling reagents in peptide chemistry. Tetrahedron Lett 30:1927–1930
Krajniak KG (1991) The identification and structure-activity relations of a cardioactive FMRFamide-related peptide from the blue crab Callinectes sapidus. Peptides 12:1295–1302
Lea AO, Brown MR (1990) Neuropeptides of mosquitoes. In: Hagedorn HH et al (eds) Molecular insect science. Plenum Press, New York, pp 181–188
Lutz EM, Lesser W, MacDonald M, Sommerville J (1990) Novel neuropeptides revealed by cDNAs cloned from Helix aspersa nervous system. Soc Neurosci Abstr 16:549
Matsumoto S, Brown MR, Crim JW, Vigna SR, Lea AO (1989) Isolation and primary structure of neuropeptides from the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, immunoreactive to FMRFamide antiserum. Insect Biochem 19:277–283
O'Connor E, Watson W, Wyse G (1982) Identification and localization of catecholamines in the nervous system of Limulus polyphemus. J Neurobiol 13:49–62
Pax RA, Sanborn RC (1967a) Cardioregulation in Limulus II. Gamma amino butryric acid, antagonists and inhibitory nerves. Biol Bull 132:381–391
Pax RA, Sanborn RC (1967b) Cardioregulation in Limulus III. Inhibition by 5-hydroxytryptamine and antagonism by bromlysergic acid diethylamide and picrotoxin. Biol Bull 132:392–403
Price DA, Lesser W, Lee TD, Doble KE, Greenberg MJ (1990) Seven FMRFamide-related and two SCP-related cardioactive peptides from Helix. J Exp Biol 154:421–437
Sarantakis D, Teichman J, Lien EL, Fenichel RL (1976) A novel cyclic undecapeptide, WY-40,770 with prolonged growth hormone release inhibiting activity. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 73:336–342
Stüber W, Knolle L, Breipohl G (1989) Synthesis of peptide amides by Fmoc solid phase peptide synthesis and acid labile anchor groups. Int J Pept Prot Res 34:215–221
Watson WH III, Groome JR (1989) Modulation of the Limulus heart. Am Zool 29:1287–1303
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gaus, G., Casaretto, M. & Stieve, H. Cardioinhibitory peptides from Limulus polyphemus: modulation of the neurogenic heart. J Comp Physiol B 164, 191–194 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00354079
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00354079