School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2020 Apr 17;11:225. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2020.00225. eCollection 2020.
The identification of structurally related hypothalamic hormones that regulate blood pressure and diuresis (vasopressin, VP; CYFQNCPRG-NH) or lactation and uterine contraction (oxytocin, OT; CYIQNCPLG-NH) was a major advance in neuroendocrinology, recognized in the award of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1955. Furthermore, the discovery of central actions of VP and OT as regulators of reproductive and social behavior in humans and other mammals has broadened interest in these neuropeptides beyond physiology into psychology. VP/OT-type neuropeptides and their G-protein coupled receptors originated in a common ancestor of the Bilateria (Urbilateria), with invertebrates typically having a single VP/OT-type neuropeptide and cognate receptor. Gene/genome duplications followed by gene loss gave rise to variety in the number of VP/OT-type neuropeptides and receptors in different vertebrate lineages. Recent advances in comparative transcriptomics/genomics have enabled discovery of VP/OT-type neuropeptides in an ever-growing diversity of invertebrate taxa, providing new opportunities to gain insights into the evolution of VP/OT-type neuropeptide function in the Bilateria. Here we review the comparative physiology of VP/OT-type neuropeptides in invertebrates, with roles in regulation of reproduction, feeding, and water/salt homeostasis emerging as common themes. For example, we highlight recent reports of roles in regulation of oocyte maturation in the sea-squirt , extraoral feeding behavior in the starfish and energy status and dessication resistance in ants. Thus, VP/OT-type neuropeptides are pleiotropic regulators of physiological processes, with evolutionarily conserved roles that can be traced back to Urbilateria. To gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of VP/OT-type neuropeptide function it may be necessary to not only determine the actions of the peptides but also to characterize the transcriptomic/proteomic/metabolomic profiles of cells expressing VP/OT-type precursors and/or VP/OT-type receptors within the framework of anatomically and functionally identified neuronal networks. Furthermore, investigation of VP/OT-type neuropeptide function in a wider range of invertebrate species is now needed if we are to determine how and when this ancient signaling system was recruited to regulate diverse physiological and behavioral processes in different branches of animal phylogeny and in contrasting environmental contexts.
鉴定出结构相关的下丘脑激素，这些激素可调节血压和利尿（血管加压素，VP；CYFQNCPRG-NH）或泌乳和子宫收缩（催产素，OT；CYIQNCPLG-NH），这是神经内分泌学的重大进展，这一成就于 1955 年获得诺贝尔化学奖。此外，VP 和 OT 作为人类和其他哺乳动物生殖和社会行为调节剂的中枢作用的发现，将人们对这些神经肽的兴趣从生理学扩展到了心理学。VP/OT 型神经肽及其 G 蛋白偶联受体起源于两侧动物（Urbilateria）的共同祖先，无脊椎动物通常只有一种 VP/OT 型神经肽和同源受体。基因/基因组的复制后基因丢失导致不同脊椎动物谱系中 VP/OT 型神经肽和受体的数量发生了变化。比较转录组学/基因组学的最新进展使人们能够在越来越多的无脊椎动物分类群中发现 VP/OT 型神经肽，为深入了解 VP/OT 型神经肽在两侧动物中的功能进化提供了新的机会。在这里，我们综述了无脊椎动物中 VP/OT 型神经肽的比较生理学，发现其在生殖、摄食和水盐稳态调节中的作用是共同的主题。例如，我们强调了最近关于在海鞘中调节卵母细胞成熟、在海星中调节口腔外摄食行为以及在蚂蚁中调节能量状态和抗干燥能力的作用的报告。因此，VP/OT 型神经肽是生理过程的多效调节剂，具有可追溯到 Urbilateria 的进化保守作用。为了更深入地了解 VP/OT 型神经肽功能的进化，不仅需要确定肽的作用，还需要在解剖学和功能上确定表达 VP/OT 型前体和/或 VP/OT 型受体的细胞的转录组学/蛋白质组学/代谢组学特征在识别的神经元网络框架内。此外，现在需要在更广泛的无脊椎动物物种中研究 VP/OT 型神经肽的功能，以确定这种古老的信号系统是如何以及何时被招募来调节动物系统发育的不同分支和不同环境背景下的各种生理和行为过程的。
