The sulfakinins of the blowfly Calliphora vomitoria. Peptide isolation, gene cloning and expression studies

The nonapeptide, Phe-Asp-Asp-Tyr(SO3)-Gly-His-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2 was isolated from heads of the blowfly Calliphora vomitoria. Designated callisulfakinin I, the peptide is identical to the earlier known drosulfakinin I of Drosophila melanogaster and to neosulfakinin I of Neobellieria bullata. It belongs to the sulfakinin family, all known members of which (from flies, cockroaches and locusts) have the C-terminal heptapeptide sequence Asp-Tyr(SO3)-Gly-His-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2. The callisulfakinin gene of C. vomitoria was cloned and sequenced. In addition to callisulfakinin I, the DNA revealed a coding sequence for the putative tetradecapeptide. Gly-Gly-Glu-Glu-Gln-Phe-Asp-Asp-Tyr-Gly-His- Met-Arg-Phe-NH2, callisulfakinin II. However, this peptide was not identified in the fly head extracts. Confocal laser scanning immunocytochemical studies with antisera raised against the synthetic undecapeptide C-terminal fragment of drosulfakinin II from D. melanogaster, Asp-Gln-Phe-Asp-Asp-Tyr(SO3)- Gly-His-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2, revealed only four pairs of sulfakinin neurones in the brain of C. vomitoria and no others anywhere else in the neural, endocrine or gut tissues. In situ hybridisation studies with a digoxigenin-labelled sulfakinin gene probe (from the blowfly Lucilia cuprina) also revealed only four pairs of neurones in the brain. The perikarya of two pairs of cells are situated medially in the caudo-dorsal region, close to the roots of the ocellar nerve. The other perikarya are slightly more posterior and lateral. Although it has been suggested by several authors that the insect sulfakinins are homologous to the vertebrate peptides gastrin and cholecystokinin, such arguments (based essentially on C-terminal structural similarities) do not take account of important differences in the C-terminal tetrapeptide. His-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2 in the sulfakinins, compared with Trp-Met-Asp-Phe-NH2 in gastrin and cholecystokinin. Furthermore, whereas the sulfakinin neurons of C. vomitoria are small in number and have a very specialised location, a greater number of cells throughout the nervous system react positively to gastrin/cholecystokinin antisera. Chromatographic profiles of the present study also revealed peaks of gastrin/cholecystokinin-immunoreactive material separate from the sulfakinin peptides. This evidence suggests that the insect and vertebrate peptides may not necessarily be homologous.