Eur. J. Entomol. 103 (2): 297-304, 2006 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2006.038

Unusual complement of three AKH octapeptides in two species of grasshoppers (Caelifera)

Gerd GÄDE
Zoology Department, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa; e-mail: ggade@botzoo.uct.ac.za

The corpora cardiaca (CC) of the two grasshopper species Zonocerus elegans (Pyrgomorphidae) and Lamarckiana sparrmani (Pamphagidae) contain (a) substance(s) that cause(s) hyperlipaemia in the migratory locust and hypertrehalosaemia in the American cockroach. Isolation of neuropeptides belonging to the adipokinetic hormone (AKH) family was achieved by single-step reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography of CC extracts from both species and monitoring tryptophan fluorescence. The material of both species showed three distinct fluorescence peaks with adipokinetic activity in the migratory locust. The peptides were identifid by at least two of the following methods: (1) sequencing by Edman degradation, (2) sequencing by tandem fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, (3) mass determination by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry and (4) co-elution of the native and synthetic peptides. Both species were found to have three AKH peptides stored in the CC, but unlike in other grasshoppers, none of those peptides were decapeptides. In Z. elegans the following three octapeptides occur: Schgr-AKH-II (pELNFSTGWamide), Peram-CAH-II (pELTFTPNWamide) and Phymo-AKH-III (pEINFTPWWamide), whereas L. sparrmani contains the octapeptides Grybi-AKH (pEVNFSTGWamide), Pyrap-AKH (pELNFTPNWamide) and also Phymo-AKH-III. Conspecific bioassays show no adipokinetic and only a weak (not significant) hypertrehalosaemic effect (in the pamphagid grasshopper). Some explanations are offered on the possible role of these peptides in the species investigated by interpreting their life style.

Keywords: Caelifera, Lamarckiana sparrmani, Pamphagidae, Zonocerus elegans, Pyrgomorphidae, adipokinetic peptide, peptide sequencing, Edman sequencing, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, octapeptides

Received: August 30, 2005; Revised: December 1, 2005; Accepted: December 1, 2005; Published: April 6, 2006  Show citation

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GÄDE, G. (2006). Unusual complement of three AKH octapeptides in two species of grasshoppers (Caelifera). EJE, 103(2), 297-304. doi: 10.14411/eje.2006.038
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