Widely distributed Drosophila G-protein-coupled receptor (CG7887) is activated by endogenous tachykinin-related peptides

Ryan T. Birse, Erik C. Johnson, Paul H. Taghert, Dick R. Nässel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

82 Scopus citations

Abstract

Neuropeptides related to vertebrate tachykinins have been identified in Drosophila. Two Drosophila G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), designated NKD (CG6515) and DTKR (CG7887), cloned earlier, display sequence similarities to mammalian tachykinin receptors. However, they were not characterized with the endogenous Drosophila tachykinins (DTKs). The present study characterizes one of these receptors, DTKR. We determined that HEK-293 cells transfected with DTKR displayed dose-dependent increases in both intracellular calcium and cyclic AMP levels in response to the different DTK peptides. DTK peptides also induced internalization of DTKR-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion constructs in HEK-293 cells. We generated specific antireceptor antisera and showed that DTKR is widely distributed in the adult brain and more scarcely in the larval CNS. The distribution of the receptor in brain neuropils corresponds well with the distribution of its ligands, the DTKs. Our findings suggest that DTKR is a DTK receptor in Drosophila and that this ligand-receptor system plays multiple functional roles.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)33-46
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Neurobiology
Volume66
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2006

Keywords

  • CG7887
  • Drosophila
  • Human embryonic kidney cells
  • Insect nervous system
  • Neuropeptide
  • Tachykinin receptor
  • Tachykinins

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