GABA modulates day–night variation in melatonin levels in the cerebral ganglia of the damselfly Ischnura graellsii and the grasshopper Oedipoda caerulescens

Vieira, Raúl; Míguez, Jesús M.; Aldegunde, M.

doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2004.11.036

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…In insects the presence of melatonin has been reported in some species including, amongst others, Locusta migratoria , Drosophila , the silkworm Bombyx mori and the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Vivien‐Roels et al ., ; Finocchiaro et al ., ; Itoh et al ., ; Gao & Hardie, ). Some reports have even shown a circadian rhythm in the synthesis of the hormone, with a nocturnal peak in some cases (Itoh et al ., ,b; Bembenek et al ., ; Vieira et al ., ). It is not known, however, whether the synthesis of melatonin in insects follows a pathway similar to that in vertebrates or if it plays a role (if any) in insect seasonality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification, characterization and analysis of expression of genes encoding arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferases in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum

Barberà

Mengual

Collantes-Alegre

et al. 2013

Insect Molecular Biology

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Most organisms exhibit some kind of rhythmicity in their behaviour and/or physiology as an adaptation to the cyclical movements of the Earth. In addition to circadian rhythms, many organisms have an annual rhythmicity in certain activities, such as reproduction, migration or induction of diapause. Current knowledge of the molecular basis controlling seasonal rhythmicity, especially in insects, is scarce. One element that seems to play an essential role in the maintenance of both circadian and seasonal rhythms in vertebrates is the hormone melatonin. In vertebrates, the limiting enzyme in its synthesis is the arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT). Melatonin is also present in insects but the precise biochemical pathway and the enzymes involved in its synthesis are unknown. Insects possess phylogenetically distant arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferases but their involvement in melatonin synthesis still needs to be fully demonstrated. Aphids have a seasonally rhythmical life cycle, reproducing parthenogenetically by viviparity in favourable seasons but, in unfavourable seasons, they produce a single generation of sexual individuals. The length of the photoperiod is the main environmental factor that controls the mode of reproduction in aphids. Taking advantage of the availability of the genome of the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum, we searched for genes encoding aphid arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase homologues that could be candidates for participation in seasonal rhythmicity. We identified four AANAT genes, of which at least two (Ap-AANAT1 and Ap-AANAT3) showed highly significant variation in transcription levels depending on the photoperiod conditions. These results are discussed in the context of how seasonality can be controlled in aphids.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification, characterization and analysis of expression of genes encoding arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferases in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum

Barberà

Mengual

Collantes-Alegre

et al. 2013

Insect Molecular Biology

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“…These metabolites may be responsible for diapause induction in parasitoids developing in oviparous morphs. Gamma aminobutyric acid was more concentrated in oviparous females and could also serve as an indirect seasonal cue for parasitoids because this neurotransmitter is known to be involved in insect perception of photoperiodic changes (Vieira et al 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex makes them sleepy: host reproductive status induces diapause in a parasitoid population experiencing harsh winters

Tougeron

Brodeur

Baaren

et al. 2018

Preprint

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When organisms coevolve, any change in one species can induce phenotypic changes in traits and ecology of the other species. The role such interactions play in ecosystems is central, but their mechanistic bases remain underexplored. Upper trophic level species have to synchronize their life-cycle to both abiotic conditions and to lower trophic level species’ phenology and phenotypic variations. We tested the effect of host seasonal strategy on parasitoid diapause induction by using a holocyclic clone of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum producing asexual and sexual morphs that are viviparous females (i.e. laying embryos) and oviparous females (laying eggs), respectively, the latter being only present at the end of the growing season. Aphidius ervi parasitoids from populations of contrasted climatic origin (harsh vs. mild winter areas) were allowed to parasitize each morph in a split-brood design and developing parasitoids were next reared under either fall-like or summer-like temperature-photoperiod conditions. We next examined aspects of the host physiological state by comparing the relative proportion of forty-seven metabolites and lipid reserves in both morphs produced under the same conditions. We found that oviparous morphs are cues per se for diapause induction; parasitoids entered diapause at higher levels when developing in oviparous hosts (19.4 ± 3.0%) than in viviparous ones (3.6 ± 1.3%), under summer-like conditions (i.e., when oviparous aphids appear in the fields). This pattern was only observed in parasitoids from the harsh winter area since low diapause levels were observed in the other population, suggesting local adaptations to overwintering cues. Metabolomics analyses show parasitoids’ response to be mainly influenced by the host’s physiology, with higher proportion of polyols and sugars, and more fat reserves being found in oviparous morphs. Host quality thus varies across the seasons and represents one of the multiple environmental parameters affecting parasitoid diapause. Our results underline strong coevolutionary processes between hosts and parasitoids in their area of origin, likely leading to phenological synchronization, and we point out the importance of such bottom-up effects for trait expression, and for the provision of ecosystem services such as biological control in the context of climate change.

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“…Indoleamine (5‐HT, NAS, and 5‐HIAA) analysis was determined by HPLC‐EC using the chromatographic conditions previously indicated with minor modifications (Vieira & Aldegunde, ). MEL quantification was determined by HPLC‐EC as described previously (Vieira et al, ; Vieira, Míguez, Lema, & Aldegunde, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Brain NAT activity was evaluated as previously (Vieira et al, ), following the method described by Martin and Downer (). Protein content was determined in a volume of tissue supernatant (Bradford, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar to that observed in mammals, the synthesis of MEL is driven by the environmental light/dark cycle and shows a marked peak during scotophase, (Bloch et al, ; Vivien‐Roels & Pevet, ). The day/night variations of MEL levels in some insect species have been determined: Musca autumnalis (Wetterberg, Hayes, & Halberg, ), Ischnura verticalis and Enallagma civile (Tilden, Anderson, & Hutchison, ), Gryllus bimaculatus (Itoh, Hattori, Sumi, & Suzuki, b), Rhodnius prolixus (Gorbet & Steel, ), I. graellsii , and Oedipoda caerulescens (Vieira, Miguez, & Aldegunde, ) or Apis mellifera (Yang, Qin, Li, Song, & Qi, ). Recently it has been speculated that the head synthesis and release of MEL in Spodoptera litura occur as a circadian rhythm and that light has an inhibitory effect on its synthesis (Subala & Shivakumar, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Melatonin synthesis in the optic lobes and midbrain of the grasshopper Oedipoda caerulescens

Vieira

Mancebo

Pérez-Maceira

et al. 2019

Arch Insect Biochem Physiol

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The pathways of insect melatonin (MEL) biosynthesis apparently follow the same routes as those identified in vertebrates but information on MEL synthesis variations related with serotonin (5-HT), 5-hydroxy-indole acetic acid (5HIAA), and N-acetylserotonin (NAS) levels, as well as 5-HT N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity throughout the day, is very limited in the insect nervous system. In the present study, the levels of MEL, metabolites (5-HT, NAS, and 5-HIAA) and enzyme NAT were determined in the optic lobes and the midbrain of the grasshopper Oedipoda caerulescens, in conditions of light and darkness. In both tissues, a different pattern of MEL synthesis was observed over the light/dark cycle. Variations in the levels of 5-HT, NAS and NAT activity related to the synthesis of cerebral MEL follow a pattern very similar to that observed in the pineal of mammals, with a peak of synthesis in the first half of the scotophase. Also, we observed differences in the metabolism of 5-HT between the optic lobes and the midbrain light/dark-dependent. K E Y W O R D S 5-HIAA, 5-HT, cerebral ganglia, insects, melatonin, NAS, NAT

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GABA modulates day–night variation in melatonin levels in the cerebral ganglia of the damselfly Ischnura graellsii and the grasshopper Oedipoda caerulescens

Cited by 17 publications

References 30 publications

Identification, characterization and analysis of expression of genes encoding arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferases in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum

Identification, characterization and analysis of expression of genes encoding arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferases in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum

Sex makes them sleepy: host reproductive status induces diapause in a parasitoid population experiencing harsh winters

Melatonin synthesis in the optic lobes and midbrain of the grasshopper Oedipoda caerulescens

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