Identification and Characterization of a G Protein-Coupled Receptor for the Neuropeptide Proctolin in Drosophila Melanogaster
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Identification and characterization of a G protein-coupled receptor for the neuropeptide proctolin in Drosophila melanogaster Erik C. Johnson*, Stephen F. Garczynski†, Dongkook Park*, Joe W. Crim†, Dick R. Na¨ ssel‡, and Paul H. Taghert*§ *Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110; †Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602; and ‡Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden Edited by John H. Law, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, and approved March 24, 2003 (received for review January 8, 2003) Proctolin is a bioactive neuropeptide that modulates interneuronal through heterotrimeric G proteins in the cockroach (20), we and neuromuscular synaptic transmission in a wide variety of arthro- included this peptide among other potential ligands with which pods. We present several lines of evidence to propose that the orphan to test functional activation of the orphan peptide GPCR G protein-coupled receptor CG6986 of Drosophila is a proctolin potentially encoded by CG6986. We found that CG6986 expres- receptor. When expressed in mammalian cells, CG6986 confers second sion confers selective proctolin sensitivity to a heterologous cell messenger activation after proctolin application, with an EC50 of 0.3 type. We then extended our studies to further implicate CG6986 nM. In competition-based studies, the CG6986 receptor binds proc- as a strong candidate for a Drosophila proctolin receptor. nM). By microarray analysis, CG6986 4 ؍ tolin with high affinity (IC50 transcript is consistently detected in head mRNA of different geno- Materials and Methods types, and under different environmental conditions. By blot analysis, Molecular Cloning. We constructed a full-length CG6986 coding anti-CG6986 antibodies detect a band in tissue homogenates similar sequence appropriate for expression (25) in HEK cells by to the predicted size of the protein. Proctolin receptor immunosignals stepwise PCR amplification using RACE-generated cDNAs and are found in the hindgut, heart, and in distinct neuronal populations a CG6986 EST as templates. Details of the cloning steps and of the CNS; such patterns correlate with previous demonstrations of reagents are found in Supporting Materials and Methods, which is proctolin biological activity, and in several instances, with areas of published as supporting information on the PNAS web site, proctolin peptide immunosignals. The identification of a bona fide www.pnas.org. proctolin receptor provides the basis for a mechanistic analysis of this critical synaptic modulator. Cell Culture, Transfections, and Functional Assays. HEK-293 cells that contain a FLP recombination target (FRT) site integrated he pentapeptide proctolin (RYLPT) was the first neuropep- within the genome (Invitrogen) were cultured on DMEM sup- Ttide to be isolated and sequenced from insects (1). It was plemented with 10% FBS and 100 units per g per ml of a purified based on its myotropic actions on the insect hindgut, and penicillin͞streptomycin solution. Cells were transfected with a was subsequently found to have wide distribution throughout the total of 10 g of plasmid DNA [a 9:1 ratio of pOG44 to CG6986 arthropods (2–4). In the crab Cancer, proctolin has potent effects in pcDNA5͞FRT] by using Lipofectamine (Invitrogen) according on defined neural circuits within the stomatogastric system (5) to the manufacturer’s recommendations. After 48 h, the cells and at the neuromuscular junction (6). In insects, proctolin is a were selected on DMEM containing 100 g͞ml hygromycin B. major peptide cotransmitter and it modulates contractions of Cells were split at a 1:5 ratio every 3 days and maintained under both somatic and visceral muscles (7, 8). Proctolin-like immu- an atmosphere of 5% CO at 37°C in a humidified incubator. nosignals are found within a small number of neurons in the 2 After selection for resistance to antibiotics, cells were assayed for larval CNS of Drosophila and these include efferents to body- wall muscles, heart, and viscera (9). ligand-dependent receptor activation by monitoring changes in The mechanisms of actions of proctolin have also been intracellular calcium after incubation with the dye, Fluo3-AM investigated. Proctolin elevates levels of inositol trisphosphate (Molecular Probes). Details of dye incubation and fluorescence measurements are provided in Supporting Materials and Methods. (IP3) and cAMP, and increases calcium entry through voltage- gated ion channels (10–13). Several studies have suggested the existence of multiple proctolin receptor subtypes based on Binding Assays. Membranes were prepared by differential cen- binding studies and activities of proctolin (14, 15) or its structural trifugation through sucrose. Proctolin was iodinated by a chlo- analogues (16–19). However, more recent studies (15, 20, 21) of ramine-T method (26). Conditions for determination of specific 125 proctolin binding support a model featuring a single proctolin binding of I-labeled proctolin to membranes were as follows: receptor. The identification of a specific proctolin receptor will membranes were added to a 1.5-ml polypropylene microfuge help address issues regarding possibilities of multiple receptors, tube containing 100 pM 125I-labeled proctolin in 50 mM the precise nature of proctolin-dependent signaling pathways, Tris⅐HCl, pH 7.5, 1ϫ Hanks’ balanced salt solution, 1.5% BSA, and phylogenetic differences in proctolin signaling. The signif- and protease inhibitor in the presence of various amounts of icance of such studies is substantial because proctolin exerts unlabeled proctolin or other peptides. For HEK cells transfected such a widespread role as a synaptic modulator in arthropod with CG6986, the ability of unlabeled proctolin to displace physiology. binding of the label to membranes was compared with six other Analysis of the completed Drosophila genomic sequences (22, neuropeptides. Binding reactions were conducted at room tem- 23) identified Ͼ100 genes encoding G protein-coupled receptors perature for 2 h and were terminated by centrifugation and (GPCRs). Further analysis indicated that 44 such receptors are subsequent washing. Pellets were collected for determination of likely to have peptide ligands and that the majority of these are derived from ancestors for mammalian peptide GPCR genes (24). The CG6986 gene encodes a predicted peptide GPCR that This paper was submitted directly (Track II) to the PNAS office. is distantly related to the thyrotropin-releasing factor receptor Abbreviations: GPCR, G protein-coupled receptor; SP, sex peptide. family (24). Because proctolin was previously shown to signal §To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]. 6198–6203 ͉ PNAS ͉ May 13, 2003 ͉ vol. 100 ͉ no. 10 www.pnas.org͞cgi͞doi͞10.1073͞pnas.1030108100 Downloaded by guest on September 30, 2021 Fig. 1. Effects of peptides on HEK cells stably expressing CG6986 or CG10698. Fluorescence was measured before and immediately after peptide addition. The concentration of all peptides shown was 10Ϫ8 M. Compared with control cells, only proctolin induced significant changes in cells expressing CG6986 and only corazonin induced significant changes in cells expressing CG10698. AstB, allatostatin B; AKH, adipokinetic hormone; CCAP, crustacean cardioacceleratory peptide; ETH, ecdysis-triggering hormone; FMRF, DPKQDFMRFamide; Ast, allatostatin A; AstC, allatostatin C; DMS, dromyosuppressin; PDF, pigment dispersing factor; IFa, IF amide; dTK, Drosophila tachykinin; and CAP-2B1, cardioacceleratory peptide 2B1. radioactivity on a Packard Gamma II counter. Raw counts at a 1:1000 dilution, and antisera preadsorbed with synthetic obtained from the binding assays were converted to percent total peptide immunogen (100 nmol͞ml). Images were obtained on a binding, and resulting data were analyzed by nonlinear regres- Zeiss Axioplan microscope equipped with a Hamamatsu charge- sion analysis with GRAPHPAD PRISM software (San Diego). coupled device camera (Ichinocho, Japan) using OPENLAB 3.1.2 More complete details are provided in Supporting Materials and software (Improvision, Coventry, U.K.) and PHOTOSHOP 6.0 Methods. software (Adobe Systems, Mountain View, CA). Immunocytochemistry and Western Blots. A synthetic peptide cor- Results responding to the C-terminal 20 aa of the predicted CG6986 Functional Assay. We generated six independent HEK 293 lines NEUROSCIENCE product was used to generate rabbit antisera (Multiple Peptide that were stably transfected with a cDNA corresponding to Systems, San Diego). An antiserum raised in rabbit to proctolin CG6986 and one line stably transfected with a cDNA corre- conjugated to thyroglobulin with glutaraldehyde was produced sponding to CG10698. We tested these lines with a library of commercially (Euro Diagnostica, Malmo¨, Sweden). HEK cells were fixed for 60 min at RT in 4% paraformaldehyde in PBS, containing 7% picric acid (vol͞vol). The cells were washed and stained for1hatroom temperature in anti-CG6986; cells were washed, then stained with Cy3-conjugated anti-rabbit antibodies (Jackson Laboratories, West Grove, PA). For Western blots, SDS gels were electrotransferred to poly(vinylidene difluoride) membranes, then incubated with primary antibody at a 1:750 dilution for 1 h, and signals were detected after incubation with an alkaline phosphatase-conjugated anti-rabbit antibody. Immunocytochemistry was performed on tissues of adults and third-instar larvae of the Oregon R