Distribution and functional significance of Met-enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7- and Met-enkephalin-Arg6-Gly7-Leu8-like peptides in the blowfly Calliphora vomitoria. I. Immunocytochemical mapping of neuronal pathways in the brain.

Neuronal pathways immunoreactive to antisera against the extended-enkephalins, Met-enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7 (Met-7) and Met-enkephalin-Arg6-Gly7-Leu8 (Met-8), have been identified in the brain of the blowfly Calliphora vomitoria. Co-localisation with other enkephalins in certain neurons suggests that a precursor similar to preproenkephalin A exists in insects and that differential enzymatic processing occurs as in vertebrates. Co-localisations of the extended-enkephalin-like peptides with other vertebrate-type peptides, including cholecystokinin and pancreatic polypeptide, also occur. The enkephalinergic pathways are specific, comprising a few groups of highly characteristic neurons and areas of neuropil. Of special interest is the finding that parts of the antennal chemosensory and the optic lobe visual systems contain Met-8 immunoreactive neurons. Within the median neurosecretory cell groups, some of the giant neurons show immunoreactivity to Met-8 and others to both Met-8 and Met-7. Fibres from these cells project to the corpus cardiacum and also to the suboesophageal ganglion, where arborisations occur in the tritocerebral neuropil. Co-localisation studies of these cells have shown that at certain terminals, one particular type of peptide is the dominant neuroregulator, whilst at other terminals, within the same cell, a different co-synthesised peptide predominates. Several groups of lateral neurosecretory cells show clearly defined enkephalinergic pathways, most of which have connections with the central body. The complex patterns of immunoreactivity seen in terminals in the different parts of the central body, suggest an important role for the enkephalin-like peptides in the integration of multimodal sensory inputs. The physiological functions of the extended-enkephalin-like peptides in the brain of Calliphora is still unknown, but the anatomical evidence suggests they may have a role similar to that in mammals, where they are thought to control aspects of feeding behaviour.