Myotropic Activities of Tick Pyrokinin Neuropeptides and Analog in Feeding Tissues of Hard Ticks (Ixodidae).

ABSTRACT: Neuropeptides regulate many important physiological processes in animals. The G protein-coupled receptors of corresponding small neuropeptide ligands are considered promising targets for controlling arthropod pests. Pyrokinins (PKs) are pleiotropic neuropeptides that, in some insect species, stimulate muscle contraction and modulate pheromone biosynthesis, embryonic diapause, and feeding behavior. However, their function remains unknown in ticks. In this study, we reported the myotropic activity of tick endogenous PKs and a PK agonist analog, PK-PEG₈ (MS[PEG₈]-YFTPRLa), on feeding tissues of two tick species representing the family Ixodidae lineages, namely, Prostriata (Ixodes scapularis) and Metastriata (Rhipicephalus sanguineus). First, we predicted th

SUBMITTER: Xiong C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8887807 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature