H-LYS-ARG-SER-PTYR-GLU-GLU-HIS-ILE-PRO-OH

Description

NPF exerts behavioral and motivational modulation in insects, including feeding and reproductive behaviors. NPF is an invertebrate counterpart peptide of the mammalian neuropeptide Y (NPY), regulating feeding and its related behaviors.

Structure

NPFs are composed of 28–45 aa residues with the conserved C-terminal tetrapeptide, R (or K) XRF-NH2.

Biological functions

To date, a number of physiological investigations of NPF indicate that NPF is a pleiotropic factor in insects.Significantly, NPF functions in the modulation of feeding behavior and motivation, including the response to starvation. The function of NPF in feeding effects is involved in the insulin-signaling pathway. Accompanied by these functions of NPF, the expression and secretion level of NPF are regulated by carbohydrate intake. As the clock-related neurons are co-expressed with NPF, clock-related functions have been demonstrated.In addition, NPF contributes to the regulation of locomotor activity for reproduction. In particular, NPF is involved in aggressive behaviors such as territorial competition and male-specific aggression in insects as well as social behavior in C. elegans. In D. melanogaster, learning and memory effects are also confirmed as NPF's function. NPF is involved in the release of other hormones, including dopamine, octopamine, and GABA in D. melanogaster. Sensitivity to ethanol is controlled via NPFergic neurons in the mushroom body. NPF signaling is involved in the insulin signaling pathway in D. melanogaster.