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Updated: Sep 5, 2025

Characterization of G Protein-coupled Receptors by a Fluorescence-based Calcium Mobilization Assay
Published on: July 28, 2014
Allatostatin A Signalling: Progress and New Challenges From a Paradigmatic Pleiotropic Invertebrate Neuropeptide
Christian Wegener1, Jiangtian Chen2
1Neurobiology and Genetics, Würzburg Insect Research, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Neuropeptides have gained broad attraction in insect neuroscience and physiology, as new genetic tools are increasingly uncovering their wide-ranging pleiotropic functions with high cellular resolution. Allatostatin A (AstA) peptides constitute one of the best studied insect neuropeptide families. In insects and other panarthropods, AstA peptides qualify as brain-gut peptides and have regained attention with the discovery of their role in regulating feeding, growth, activity/sleep and learning. AstA receptor homologs are found throughout the protostomia and group with vertebrate somatostatin/galanin/kisspeptin receptors. In this review, we summarise the current knowledge on the evolution and the pleiotropic and cell-specific non-allatostatic functions of AstA. We speculate about the core functions of AstA signalling, and derive open questions and challengesfor future research on AstA and invertebrate neuropeptides in general.
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