M. Gajewski et al., LWAMIDES FROM CNIDARIA CONSTITUTE A NOVEL FAMILY OF NEUROPEPTIDES WITH MORPHOGENETIC ACTIVITY, Roux's archives of developmental biology, 205(5-6), 1996, pp. 232-242
Metamorphosin A (MMA) isolated from the anthozoan Anthopleura eleganti
ssima has recently been shown to interfere with developmental control
in the colonial hydroid Hydractinia echinata. In order to identify the
functional homologue in this species we have cloned cDNAs of the prec
ursor protein from Hydractinia and, for comparison, precursor sequence
s from two further anthozoans. The deduced preproproteins contain mult
iple copies of propeptides to be processed into a great variety of nov
el neuropeptides most of which are N-terminally different from MMA. Or
iginal MMA is only contained in the anthozoan precursors. Most of the
novel neuropeptides will have the carboxyl terminus LWamide. Therefore
, we term this novel neuropeptide family the LWamides. Peptides synthe
sized according to the precursor sequence of H. echinata and added to
planulae trigger metamorphosis. In contrast, none of 11 other known bi
ologically active peptides including carboxamidated neuropeptides were
effective. Expression analysis by in situ hybridization and by antibo
dies against the H. echinata peptide reveals the presence of the gene
product in planulae at the proper time and at the due spatial location
expected for a natural role in metamorphosis. LWamide transcripts are
also observed in nerve cells of primary and adult polyps, suggesting
LWamides to be a multifunctional family of neuropeptides.