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Identification and expression analysis of the genes involved in serotonin biosynthesis and transduction in the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus
Author(s) -
Watanabe T.,
Sadamoto H.,
Aonuma H.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
insect molecular biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.955
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2583
pISSN - 0962-1075
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2011.01093.x
Subject(s) - gryllus bimaculatus , tryptophan hydroxylase , biology , field cricket , serotonin , cricket , aromatic l amino acid decarboxylase , gene , tryptophan , phenylalanine hydroxylase , gene expression , 5 ht receptor , aromatic amino acids , complementary dna , biochemistry , receptor , microbiology and biotechnology , phenylalanine , enzyme , amino acid , serotonergic , zoology
Serotonin (5‐HT) modulates various aspects of behaviours such as aggressive behaviour and circadian behaviour in the cricket. To elucidate the molecular basis of the cricket 5‐HT system, we identified 5‐HT‐related genes in the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus DeGeer. Complementary DNA of tryptophan hydroxylase and phenylalanine‐tryptophan hydroxylase, which convert tryptophan into 5‐hydroxy‐L‐tryptophan (5‐HTP), and that of aromatic L‐amino acid decarboxylase, which converts 5‐HTP into 5‐HT, were isolated from a cricket brain cDNA library. In addition, four 5‐HT receptor genes (5‐HT 1A , 5‐HT 1B , 5‐HT 2α , and 5‐HT 7 ) were identified. Expression analysis of the tryptophan hydroxylase gene TRH and phenylalanine‐tryptophan hydroxylase gene TPH , which are selectively involved in neuronal and peripheral 5‐HT synthesis in Drosophila , suggested that two 5‐HT synthesis pathways co‐exist in the cricket neuronal tissues. The four 5‐HT receptor genes were expressed in various tissues at differential expression levels, suggesting that the 5‐HT system is widely distributed in the cricket.