AUTHOR=Mizoguchi Akira , Okamoto Naoki 

TITLE=Insulin-like and IGF-like peptides in the silkmoth Bombyx mori: discovery, structure, secretion, and function

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=4

YEAR=2013

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2013.00217

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2013.00217

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p>A quarter of a century has passed since bombyxin, the first insulin-like peptide identified in insects, was discovered in the silkmoth <italic>Bombyx mori</italic>. During these years, bombyxin has been studied for its structure, genes, distribution, hemolymph titers, secretion control, as well as physiological functions, thereby stimulating a wide range of studies on insulin-like peptides in other insects. Moreover, recent studies have identified a new class of insulin family peptides, IGF-like peptides, in <italic>B. mori</italic> and <italic>Drosophila melanogaster</italic>, broadening the base of the research area of the insulin-related peptides in insects. In this review, we describe the achievements of the studies on insulin-like and IGF-like peptides mainly in <italic>B. mori</italic> with short histories of their discovery. Our emphasis is that bombyxins, secreted by the brain neurosecretory cells, regulate nutrient-dependent growth and metabolism, whereas the IGF-like peptides, secreted by the fat body and other peripheral tissues, regulate stage-dependent growth of tissues.</p>