Ida, Takanori, Takahashi, Tomoko, Tominaga, Hatsumi, Sato, Takahiro, Kume, Kazuhiko, Ozaki, Mamiko, Hiraguchi, Tetsutaro, Maeda, Toru, Shiotani, Hajime, Terajima, Saki, Sano, Hiroko, Mori, Kenji, Yoshida, Morikatsu, Miyazato, Mikiya, Kato, Johji, Murakami, Noboru, Kangawa, Kenji, and Kojima, Masayasu
Abstract: A number of bioactive peptides are involved in regulating a wide range of animal behaviors, including food consumption. Vertebrate neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a potent stimulator of appetitive behavior. Recently, Drosophila neuropeptide F (dNPF) and short NPF (sNPF), the Drosophila homologs of the vertebrate NPY, were identified to characterize the functions of NPFs in the feeding behaviors of this insect. Dm-NPFR1 and NPFR76F are the receptors for dNPF and sNPF, respectively; both receptors are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Another GPCR (CG5811; NepYR) was indentified in Drosophila as a neuropeptide Y-like receptor. Here, we identified 2 ligands of CG5811, dRYamide-1 and dRYamide-2. Both peptides are derived from the same precursor (CG40733) and have no significant structural similarities to known bioactive peptides. The C-terminal sequence RYamide of dRYamides is identical to that of NPY family peptides; on the other hand, dNPF and sNPF have C-terminal RFamide. When administered to blowflies, dRYamide-1 suppressed feeding motivation. We propose that dRYamides are related to the NPY family in vertebrates, similar to dNPF and sNPF. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]