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Separation of oviposition-stimulating peptides and myotropic factors from head extracts of Galleria mellonella L.: Comparative effects of myotropic and non-myotropic factors on egg laying

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Abstract

Methanolic extracts from heads of the wax moth, Galleria mellonella L. contain several factors that stimulate oviposition of virgin females in vivo and spontaneous contractions of the oviduct in vitro of the cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. The myotropic and egglaying activities behaved distinctly during all steps of purification, including fractionation on reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. A novel neuropeptide was isolated from Galleria mellonella. The peptide does not increase the motility of isolated cricket oviducts. Among 13 other myotropic or non-myotropic factors studied, none were found to be as potent as the new peptide in stimulating egg-laying activity. The dose-response curves of myotropic and non-myotropic factors indicate that (i) proctolin, l-glutamate, octopamine, leucokinin-VI, leucopyrokinin, ecdysone and 20-hydroxy-ecdysone, or equivalent structures, might be involved in Galleria mellonella oviposition control, and (ii) that only the novel wax moth neuropeptide has the ability to trigger egg laying in that insect. The significance of these findings is discussed.

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Abbreviations

AcN :

acetonitrile

E :

head equivalent

20-HE :

20-hydroxyccdysone

JH :

20-hydroxyecdysone, juvenile hormone

Lem-K :

VI leucokinin-VI

Lem-K :

I leucokinin-I

Lem :

MS leucomyosupressin

Lem :

PK leukopyrokinin

TFA :

trifluoroacetic acid

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Bioactivation des Peptides, Institut Jacques-Monod, Tour 43, 2 place Jussieu, F-75251, Paris Cedex 05, France

    K. Abdoun & P. Nicolas

  2. Laboratoire de Biochimie des Signaux Régulateurs Cellulaires et Moléculaires, URA 1682 CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 96 Boulevard Raspail, F-75006, Paris, France

    K. Abdoun & P. Cohen

  3. Equipe de Neuroendocrinologie des Insectes de l'Université Pierre et Marie Curic, 12, rue Cuvier, F-75005, Paris, France

    K. Abdoun, M. Mesnier-Sabin & N. Baudry-Partiaoglou

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  1. K. Abdoun
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  2. M. Mesnier-Sabin
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  3. N. Baudry-Partiaoglou
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  4. P. Nicolas
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  5. P. Cohen
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Communicated by H. Langer

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Abdoun, K., Mesnier-Sabin, M., Baudry-Partiaoglou, N. et al. Separation of oviposition-stimulating peptides and myotropic factors from head extracts of Galleria mellonella L.: Comparative effects of myotropic and non-myotropic factors on egg laying. J Comp Physiol B 165, 102–109 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00301474

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