CHARACTERIZATION OF PBAN AND PBAN-ENCODING GENE NEUROPEPTIDES IN THE CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM OF THE CORN-EARWORM MOTH, HELICOVERPA-ZEA

Both female and male adult corn earworm moths, Helicoverpa tea, were u tilized to demonstrate, by immunochemical techniques, the presence and localization of the pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (H ez-PBAN), A polyclonal antibody was used and was shown to be specific to the C-terminal end of Hez-PBAN, Several other peptides with a simil ar five amino acid C-terminal ending also cross-reacted in competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), Immunocytochemical metho ds determined that in both adult male and female moths immunoreactive material was found in three clusters of cells in the subesophageal gan glion (SEG) and that axons projected from these cell bodies to the cor pora cardiaca (CC) and down the ventral nerve cord (VNC), The CC also contained immunoreactive material, Each thoracic and abdominal ganglio n also contained a pair of cell bodies with immunoreactivity. In addit ion, two pairs of axons originating from cell bodies in the SEG extend ed the entire length of the VNC and terminated in the last abdominal g anglion, ELISAs indicated that the brain-SEC complex contained the hig hest levels of PBAN-like material followed by the CC and thoracic gang lia respectively, The abdominal ganglia contained low levels of this m aterial, Bioassays of nervous tissue also indicated the same relative levels of PBAN-like material in each part of the nervous system, HPLC fractionation of nervous tissue followed by ELISAs indicated the prese nce of several other PBAN-related peptides in the brain-SEC complex an d CC, The thoracic ganglia had a different profile and contained lower levels of the peptides, These results indicate that male and female a dult moths have similar localization of PBAN-related peptides and that the five PBAN-related peptides previously deduced from the gene seque nce are probably present in the SEC and CC.