Isolation, cloning and expression of the Crustacean Cardioactive Peptide gene in the Chagas' disease vector, Rhodnius prolixus.

The blood-gorging bug, Rhodnius prolixus, is a major vector of Chagas' disease in Central and South America. We have cloned and characterized the crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP) gene in R. prolixus. The RhoprCCAP gene contains five exons and four introns, and encodes a 129 amino acid prepropeptide, which following post-translation processing, produces CCAP. The predicted RhoprCCAP amino acid sequence is identical to CCAP of crustaceans and other insects, i.e. it is highly conserved. RhoprCCAP mRNA is observed in the central nervous system (CNS) using reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR, but not in the gut and salivary glands. In situ hybridization reveals that the expression of CCAP mRNA is localized to a small number of dorsally situated bilaterally paired neurons within the CNS.