Figure 7. Adipokinetic hormones.

Putative AKH precursor sequences found in the 16 genomes and the Tenebrio transcriptome. Most of the sequences are relatively short and are aligned in the top part of the figure. Those sequences typically consists of four different parts: the signal peptide, followed immediately by the AKH sequence and a glycine residue, that is, transformed into the C-terminal amide and a convertase cleavage site, a variable region, and at the end the sequence of a well conserved peptide forming a disulfide bridge. These different regions are indicated below the alignment. Two sequences that show homology to AKH precursors deviate significantly from this pattern. The second Harmonia AKH-like precursor is predicted to produce a very long AKH-like peptide, while the second Aethina precursor lacks a signal peptide and hence can not produce AKH.