Pigment-dispersing factor is present in circadian clock neurons of pea aphids and may mediate photoperiodic signalling to insulin-producing cells.

ABSTRACT: The neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) plays a pivotal role in the circadian clock of most Ecdysozoa and is additionally involved in the timing of seasonal responses of several photoperiodic species. The pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, is a paradigmatic photoperiodic species with an annual life cycle tightly coupled to the seasonal changes in day length. Nevertheless, PDF could not be identified in A. pisum so far. In the present study, we identified a PDF-coding gene that has undergone significant changes in the otherwise highly conserved insect C-terminal amino acid sequence. A newly generated aphid-specific PDF antibody stained four neurons in each hemisphere of the aphid brain that co-express the clock protein Period and have projections to the pars la

SUBMITTER: Colizzi FS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10299861 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature