High impact information on Crz

• Corazonin receptor signaling in ecdysis initiation [1].
• In vitro exposure of isolated Inka cells to corazonin (25-100 pM) induces preecdysis- and ecdysis-triggering hormone secretion [1].
• The receptor exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity for corazonin when expressed in Xenopus oocytes (EC(50) approximately 200 pM) or Chinese hamster ovary cells (EC(50) approximately 75 pM) [1].
• Identification of G protein-coupled receptors for Drosophila PRXamide peptides, CCAP, corazonin, and AKH supports a theory of ligand-receptor coevolution [2].
• Crz transcripts were also found in the optic lobes; however, these mRNAs do not seem to be translated [3].

Biological context of Crz

• A recombinant DNA clone containing the corazonin gene was isolated from a genomic library of Drosophila melanogaster [4].
• Its nucleotide sequence predicts a preprocorazonin consisting of an 19 amino acid putative signal peptide, the 11 amino acid corazonin sequence, a Gly used for amidation, a Lys-Arg proteolytic processing site, and a 39 amino acid corazonin-precursor-related peptide (CPRP) [4].
• Corazonin gene expression in the waxmoth Galleria mellonella [5].
• Northern blots and in situ hybridization experiments revealed that the G. mellonella corazonin gene is tissue-specifically expressed in four pairs of lateral neurosecretory cells in the brains of penultimate and last instar larvae, as well as of pupae and adults [5].

Anatomical context of Crz

• No corazonin mRNA was detected in other cells of the nervous system, fat body, gut, and several other organs [5].

Other interactions of Crz

• These results are intriguing, because not only are the Drosophila AKH and corazonin receptors structurally and evolutionarily related, but also are their preprohormones, which suggests a co-evolution of ligands and receptors [6].

References