Neuropeptides and peptide hormones serve as critical regulators of numerous biological processes, including development, growth, reproduction, physiology, and behaviour. In mammals, peptidergic regulatory systems are complex and often involve multiple peptides that act at different levels and relay to different receptors. To improve the mechanistic understanding of such complex systems, invertebrate models in which evolutionarily conserved peptides and receptors regulate similar biological processes but in a less complex manner have emerged as highly valuable. Drosophila melanogaster represents a favoured model for the characterisation of novel peptidergic signalling events and for evaluating the relevance of those events in vivo. In the present study, we analysed a set of neuropeptides and peptide hormones for their ability to modulate cardiac function in semi-intact larval Drosophila melanogaster. We identified numerous peptides that significantly affected heart parameters such as heart rate, systolic and diastolic interval, rhythmicity, and contractility. Thus, peptidergic regulation of the Drosophila heart is not restricted to chronotropic adaptation but also includes inotropic modulation. By specifically interfering with the expression of corresponding peptides in transgenic animals, we assessed the in vivo relevance of the respective peptidergic regulation. Based on the functional conservation of certain peptides throughout the animal kingdom, the identified cardiomodulatory activities may be relevant not only to proper heart function in Drosophila, but also to corresponding processes in vertebrates, including humans.
Keywords: dorsal vessel; endocrine signalling; heart function; heart physiology; neuropeptides; peptide hormones; peptide signalling.