Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 6, 2451-2456, Copyright © 1986 by Society for Neuroscience
Insect cardioactive peptides: cardioacceleratory peptide (CAP) activity is blocked in vivo and in vitro with a monoclonal antibody
NJ Tublitz and PD Evans
We demonstrate here that a specific monoclonal antibody can be utilized as
a physiological tool to analyze neuropeptide function. Two
cardioacceleratory peptides (CAPs) have been recently isolated from the CNS
of the tobacco hawkmoth, Manduca sexta (Tublitz and Truman, 1985a), and it
has been suggested that they act as cardioregulatory neurohormones during
adult emergence and wing inflation (Tublitz and Truman, 1985b). Evidence is
presented here indicating that a monoclonal antibody, 6C5, selectively and
specifically precipitated the biological activities of both CAPs. In vivo
injections of 6C5 markedly reduced CAP hemolymph titers in newly emerged
adults. The 6C5 treatment also blocked the primary physiological effect of
the CAPs, the increase in cardiac activity seen during adult wing
expansion. In addition, removal of the postemergence CAP pulse with 6C5
prolonged the duration of wing- inflation behavior. Thus, by neutralizing
CAP hemolymph activity with a CAP-specific antibody, we have shown that the
CAPs are involved in cardioregulation in newly emerged moths.