DPKQDFMRFamide is one of five different
FMRFamide-containing
peptides encoded in the Drosophila
FMRFamide gene. To study the cellular expression of
DPKQDFMRFamide, we have generated
antisera to DPKQD, the N-terminal sequence of the
peptide, to avoid crossreactivity with other -
FMRFamide-containing
peptides. The
antisera were purified and the specificity characterized.
DPKQDFMRFamide immunoreactive material is first observed in the embryonic central nervous system (CNS) in one cell of the subesophageal
ganglion and one cell in each of the three thoracic ganglia. This pattern of expression is observed in larval, pupal, and adult neural tissue, albeit with increased signal intensity. In larva, pupa, and adult, additional cells in the superior protocerebrum, a thoracic
ganglion, and an abdominal
ganglion express
DPKQDFMRFamide immunoreactive material. Immunoreactivity is observed in a cell in the lateral protocerebrum of pupa and adult and cells in the optic lobe of adult. No immunoreactive material was observed in gut tissue.
DPKQDFMRFamide antisera stain a subset of cells previously identified by in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry to express the
FMRFamide transcript and
polypeptide precursor. These data suggest that the Drosophila
FMRFamide polypeptide precursor undergoes differential processing to produce
DPKQDFMRFamide immunoreactive material in a limited number of cells expressing the
FMRFamide precursor.