IDENTIFICATION OF 3 ALLATOSTATINS AND THEIR CDNA FROM THE MOSQUITO AEDES-AEGYPTI

Three allatostatins have been isolated from the mosquito Aedes aegypti . These peptides have the following structures: Ser-Pro-Lys-Tyr-Asn-Ph e-Gly-Leu-amide, Leu-Pro-His-Tyr-Asn-Phe-Gly-Leu-amide, and Arg-Val-Ty r-Asp-Phe-Gly-Leu-amide. A cDNA encoding these peptides was isolated f rom an abdominal ganglia cDNA library and sequenced. It was found to e ncode two additional allatostatins: Ala-Ser-Ala-Tyr-Arg-Tyr-His-Phe-Gl y-Leu-amide and Leu-Pro-Asn-Arg-Tyr-Asn-Phe-Gly-Leu-amide. Northern an alysis of whole mosquito mRNA revealed a single prepro-allatostatin me ssage of around 3,000 bases. Identification of a partial prepro-allato statin cDNA from a midgut cDNA library shows that the same gene is als o expressed in the mosquito midgut. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.