Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10836285 | Peptides | 2005 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
During the breeding season of the mountain chicken frog Leptodactylus fallax, fighting between males results in the emergence of dominant animals that subsequently attract females to nesting sites. A peptide, termed Leptodactylus aggression-stimulating peptide (LASP), was isolated from norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions from male specimens of L. fallax that was not present in skin secretions obtained from females. The primary structure of the peptide was established as: Gly-Leu-Trp-Asp-Asp-Leu-Lys-Ala-Ala-Ala-Lys-Lys-Val-Val-Ser-Ser-Leu-Ala-Ser-Ala-Ala-Ile-Glu-Lys-Leu NH2. LASP had no pheromone-like action on females but had a chemoattractive effect on males and stimulated aggressive behaviors, such as rearing and leaping. It is suggested that this peptide may play an important role in initiating the competitive male-male interactions that are associated with the onset of reproductive behavior in L. fallax.
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Authors
Jay D. King, Louise A. Rollins-Smith, Per F. Nielsen, Anne John, J. Michael Conlon,