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GRP/bombesin-like immunoreactive material was immunocytochemically detected in neurons of seven insect species belonging to seven orders, while such neurons were not found in three insect species belonging to two other orders. In some insect species certain neurons were found in corresponding places and approximately the same numbers. It seems likely that such neurons have a common evolutionary origin and are homologous. The fact that the GRP-antiserum reveals such homologous neurons in species belonging to different orders, suggests that the part of the GRP/bombesin-like peptide recognized by the antiserum has been relatively stable during evolution. As the GRP-antiserum had to be used in much higher concentrations on insect tissue than for GRP endocrine cells in chicken proventriculus, the chemical resemblance of the insect peptide(s) to GRP and bombesin may be limited.

Antisera against vasopressin, vasotocin, oxytocin, neurophysin-1 and neurophysin-2 were used to investigate immunocytochemically the presence of neurons containing substances antigenically related to these peptides in the nervous system of the Colorado potato beetle. Ten different antisera were used, four against vasopressin, three against oxytocin and one against vasotocin, neurophysin-1, and neurophysin-2. Immunoreactivity was shown by all antisera except those against the neurophysins. The vasopressin antisera all gave different results. One antiserum revealed only a single neuron pair, whereas others revealed in addition one or two other different cell groups. The oxytocin antisera likewise revealed different neurons. The fixation procedure influenced the outcome of the immunocytochemical reaction. Immunoreactivity as revealed by vasopressin, vasotocin and oxytocin antisera is often co-localized in the same neurons; solid phase adsorptions showed that this is due to cross-reactivity of the antisera. Some of the immunoreactive neurons are identical to those recently described to contain a bovine pancreatic polypeptide/FMRFamide-like peptide. This co-localization is probably not due to a cross-reaction. These findings indicate the presence of several vasopressin-like and oxytocin-like substances which in the Colorado potato beetle all have a different degree of immunocytochemical resemblance to vasopressin and oxytocin.

A large number of antisera to regulatory vertebrate peptides was tested immunocytochemically on the nervous system of the Colorado potato beetle to further characterize the peptidergic cells of the neuro-endocrine system and to reveal cells participating in endocrine control mechanisms. Neurons, neurosecretory cells, axons and axon terminals were revealed by antisera to ACTH, gastrin, CCK, alpha-endorphin, beta-endorphin, gamma 1-MSH, insulin, motilin, human calcitonin, growth hormone, somatostatin, CRF, ovine prolactin and rat prolactin. Together with previously described results these findings demonstrate that at least 19 different peptidergic cell types are present in the Colorado potato beetle. Several of these cell types are identical with the known neurosecretory cells, while others have not been identified before. The functions of the immunoreactive neurons are as yet unclear, although in two cases the localization of these cells gives some clues. Thus the lateral neurosecretory cells, which are immunoreactive with antisera to beta-endorphin and ovine prolactin, may regulate corpus allatum activity, whereas a CRF immunoreactive substance seems to be used as neurotransmitter by antennal receptors. These immunocytochemical findings do not imply that the immunoreactive substances are evolutionarily related to the vertebrate peptides to which the antisera were raised. It is postulated that if the part of the substance recognized by a certain antiserum is functionally important for the insect, which should be so if the insect peptide is evolutionarily related to its vertebrate homologue, the antiserum should reveal homologous cells in different insect species. The consequence of this hypothesis is, that if an antiserum does not reveal homologous neurons in different insect species, the immunologically demonstrated substance is probably of little physiological importance, and will not be related evolutionarily to the vertebrate analogue. The positive immunocytochemical results in the Colorado potato beetle are discussed in relation to these considerations.