Neuropeptide FMRFamide Gene Expression

Abstract

This chapter describes a variety of techniques to isolate (starting from the amino acid sequence only) and to analyze FMRFamide (Phe-Met-Arg-Phe- NH2) gene expression.* These include the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA sequencing, in situ hybridization, and immunocytochemistry. The central nervous system of the pond snail Lymnaea was shown to contain two classes of peptide FMRFamide and GDP/SDPFLRFamide (1). These peptides are important physiologically in regulating heart rate in the animal and are also involved in other physiological systems (2). We describe here a variety of techniques used to determine whether the different classes of peptide are encoded by the same gene, how they are expressed at the RNA level, and whether the peptide products encoded by the genes are translated and expressed. © 1992, ACADEMIC PRESS, INC.