Journal article
Molecular insights into land snail neuropeptides through transcriptome and comparative gene analysis
BMC Genomics, Vol.16, pp.1-15
2015
PMCID: PMC4408573
PMID: 25884396
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Background: Snails belong to the molluscan class Gastropoda, which inhabit land, freshwater and marine environments. Several land snail species, including Theba pisana, are crop pests of major concern, causing extensive damage to agriculture and horticulture. A deeper understanding of their molecular biology is necessary in order to develop methods to manipulate land snail populations. Results The present study used in silico gene data mining of T. pisana tissue transcriptomes to predict 24,920 central nervous system (CNS) proteins, 37,661 foot muscle proteins and 40,766 hepatopancreas proteins, which together have 5,236 unique protein functional domains. Neuropeptides, metabolic enzymes and epiphragmin genes dominated expression within the CNS, hepatopancreas and muscle, respectively. Further investigation of the CNS transcriptome demonstrated that it might contain as many as 5,504 genes that encode for proteins destined for extracellular secretion. Neuropeptides form an important class of cellcell messengers that control or influence various complex metabolic events. A total of 35 full-length neuropeptide genes were abundantly expressed within T. pisana CNS, encoding precursors that release molluscan-type bioactive neuropeptide products. These included achatin, allototropin, conopressin, elevenin, FMRFamide, LFRFamide, LRFNVamide, myomodulins, neurokinin Y, PKYMDT, PXFVamide, sCAPamides and several insulin-like peptides. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of neural ganglia confirmed the presence of many of these neuropeptides. Conclusions Our results provide the most comprehensive picture of the molecular genes and proteins associated with land snail functioning, including the repertoire of neuropeptides that likely play significant roles in neuroendocrine signalling. This information has the potential to expedite the study of molluscan metabolism and potentially stimulate advances in the biological control of land snail pest species.
Details
- Title
- Molecular insights into land snail neuropeptides through transcriptome and comparative gene analysis
- Authors
- Kevin J Adamson (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and EngineeringTianfang Wang (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and EngineeringMin Zhao (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and EngineeringFrancesca Y Bell (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and EngineeringAnna V Kuballa (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and EngineeringKenneth B Storey (Author) - Carleton University, CanadaScott F Cummins (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
- Publication details
- BMC Genomics, Vol.16, pp.1-15
- Publisher
- BioMed Central Ltd.
- Date published
- 2015
- DOI
- 10.1186/s12864-015-1510-8
- ISSN
- 1471-2164
- PMID
- 25884396; PMC4408573
- Copyright note
- Copyright © 2015 Adamson et al.; licensee BioMed Central. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Biomedicine; School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; GeneCology Research Centre - Legacy; School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99449393402621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
- Genetics & Heredity