Summary
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.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anastasi A, Erspammer V, Bucci M (1971) Isolation and structure of bombesin and alytensin, two analogous active peptides from the skin of the european amphibians Bombina and Alytes. Experientia 26:166–167
Benedeczky I, Kiss JZ, Somogyi P (1982) Light and electron microscopic localization of substance P-like immunoreactivity in the cerebral ganglion of locusts with a monoclonal antibody. Histochemistry 75:123–131
Bodenmüller H, Schaller HC (1981) Conserved amino acid sequence of a neuropeptide, the head activator, from coelenterates to humans. Nature 293:579–580
Duve H, Thorpe A (1979) Immunofluorescent localization of insulin-like material in the median neurosecretory cells of the blowfly, Calliphora vomitoria (Diptera). Cell Tissue Res 200:187–191
Duve H, Thorpe A (1980) Localisation of Pancreatic Polypeptide (PP)-like immunoreactive material in neurones of the brain of the blowfly, Calliphora erythrocephala (Diptera). Cell Tissue Res 210:101–109
Duve H, Thorpe A, Lazarus N (1979) The isolation of material displaying insulin-like immunological and biological activity from the brain of the blowfly, Calliphora vomitoria. Biochem J 181:221–227
Duve H, Thorpe A, Lazarus NR, Lowry PJ (1982) A neuropeptide of the blowlfy Calliphora vomitoria with an amino acid composition homologous with vertebrate pancreatic polypeptide. Biochem J 201:429–432
El-Salhy M, Abou-El-Ela R, Falkmer S, Grimelius L, Wilander E (1980) Immunohistochemical evidence of gastro-entero-pancreatic neurohormonal peptides of vertebrate type in the nervous system of a dipteran insect, the hoverfly, Eristalis aeneus. Regul Pept 1:187–201
El-Salhy M, Falkmer S, Kramer KJ, Speirs RD (1983) Immunohistochemical investigations of neuropeptides in the brain, corpora cardiaca, and corpora allata of an adult lepidopteran insect, Manduca sexta (L.). Cell Tissue Res 232:295–317
Erspammer V, Melchiori P (1973) Active polypeptides of amphibian skin and their synthetic analogues. Pure Appl Chem 35:463–494
Grimmelikhujzen CJP (1984) Peptides in the nervous system of Coelenterates. In: Falkmer S (ed) Evolution and tumor pathology of the neuroendocrine sysetem. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 39–58
Grimmelikhuijzen CJP, Dockray GJ, Yanaihara N (1981) Bombesin-like immunoreactivity in the nervous system of Hydra. Histochemistry 73:171–180
Hansen BL, Hansen GN, Scharrer B (1982) Immunoreactive material resembling vertebrate neuropeptides in the corpus cardiacum and corpus allatum of the insect Leucophaea maderae. Cell Tissue Res 225:319–329
McDonald TJ, Jörnvall H, Nilsson G, Vagne M, Ghatei M, Bloom SR, Mutt V (1979) Characterization of a gastrin releasing peptide from porcine non-antral gastric tissue. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 90:227–233
Melchiori P (1978) Bombesin and bombesin-like peptides of amphibian skin. In: Bloom SR (ed) Gut hormones. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, pp 540–543
Noorden S van, Fritsch HAR, Grillo TAI, Polak JM, Pearse AGE (1980) Immunocytochemical staining for vertebrate peptides in the nervous system of a gastropod mollusc. Gen Comp Endocrinol 40:375–376
Osborne NN, Dockray GJ (1982) Bombesin-like immunoreactivity in specific neurones of the snail Helix aspersa and an example of coexistence of substance P and serotonin in an invertebrate neuron. Neurochem Int 4:175–180
Roth KA, Weber E, Barchas JD (1982) Distribution of gastrin releasing-peptide-bombesin-like immunostaining in rat brain. Brain Res 251:277–282
Scharrer B (1978) Peptidergic neurons: Facts and trends. Gen Comp Endocrinol 34:50–62
Schooneveld H (1970) Structural aspects of neurosecretory and corpus allatum activity in the adult Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), as a function of daylength. Neth J Zool 20:151–237
Schot LPC, Boer HH, Swaab DF, Noorden S van (1981) Immunocytochemical demonstration of peptidergic neurons in the central nervous system of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis with antisera raised to biologically active peptides of vertebrates. Cell Tissue Res 216:273–291
Sternberger LA (1974) Immunocytochemistry. Prentice-Hall Inc., New Jersey
Swaab DF, Pool CW, Leeuwen FW van (1977) Can specificity ever be proved in immunocytochemical staining? J Histochem Cytochem 25:388–391
Veenstra JA (1984) Immunocytochemical demonstration of a homology in peptidergic neurosecretory cells in the suboesophageal ganglion of a beetle and a locust with antisera to bovine pancreatic polypeptide, FMRFamide, vasopressin and α-MSH. Neurosci Lett (in press)
Veenstra JA, Schooneveld H (1984) Immunocytochemical localization of peptidergic neurons in the nervous system of the Colorado potato beetle with antisera against FMRFamide and bovine pancreatic polypeptide. Cell Tissue Res 235:303–308
Timson CM, Polak JM, Wharton J, Ghatei MA, Bloom SR, Usellini L, Capella C, Solcia E, Brown MR, Pearse AGE (1979) Bombesin-like immunoreactivity in the avian gut and its localization to a distinct cell type. Histochemistry 61:213–221
Yanaihara N, Yanaihara C, Mochizuki T, Iwahara K, Fujita T, Iwanaga T (1981) Immunoreactive GRP. Peptides 2 Suppl 2:185–191
Yasuhara T, Nakajima T, Nakihara K, Yanaihara C, Yanaihara N, Erspammer V, Erspammer GF (1983) Two new frog skin peptides, phyllolitorins, of the bombesin-ranatensin family from Phyollomedusa sauvagei. Biomed Res 4:407–412
Yui R, Fujita T, Ito S (1980) Insulin-, gastrin-, pancreatic polypeptide-like immunoreactive neurons in the brain of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Biomed Res 1:42–46
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Veenstra, J.A., Yanaihara, N. Immunocytochemical localization of gastrin-releasing peptide/bombesin-like immunoreactive neurons in insects. Histochemistry 81, 133–138 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00490106
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00490106