State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China.
School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, 1, Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Korea.
Mol Brain. 2022 May 9;15(1):42. doi: 10.1186/s13041-022-00929-4.
Neuropeptides act mostly on a class of G-protein coupled receptors, and play a fundamental role in the functions of neural circuits underlying behaviors. However, physiological functions of some neuropeptide receptors are poorly understood. Here, we used the molluscan model system Aplysia and microinjected the exogenous neuropeptide receptor apATRPR (Aplysia allatotropin-related peptide receptor) with an expression vector (pNEX3) into Aplysia neurons that did not express the receptor endogenously. Physiological experiments demonstrated that apATRPR could mediate the excitability increase induced by its ligand, apATRP (Aplysia allatotropin-related peptide), in the Aplysia neurons that now express the receptor. This study provides a definitive evidence for a physiological function of a neuropeptide receptor in molluscan animals.
神经肽主要作用于一类 G 蛋白偶联受体，在行为相关神经回路的功能中发挥着基本作用。然而，一些神经肽受体的生理功能还不太清楚。在这里，我们使用软体动物模型系统海兔，并将外源性神经肽受体 apATRPR（海兔促咽肽相关肽受体）与表达载体（pNEX3）一起显微注射到原本不表达该受体的海兔神经元中。生理实验表明，apATRPR 可以介导其配体 apATRP（海兔促咽肽相关肽）在现在表达该受体的海兔神经元中引起的兴奋性增加。这项研究为软体动物中神经肽受体的生理功能提供了确凿的证据。
