A beta-amino acid pyrokinin analog induces irregular pupariation behavior in larvae of the flesh fly Sarcophaga bullata

The developmental process of pupariation is accelerated by members of the pyrokinin class of neuropeptides in larvae of the flesh fly Sarcophaga bullata. A pyrokinin analog (Ac-Y[β3Phe]TPRLamide), in which a Phe residue is replaced with a β-amino acid, accelerates pupariation in this fly at a potency (0.2 pmol/larva) that matches that of the native pyrokinin factor. At higher concentrations, this β-amino acid pyrokinin analog induces irregular pupariation behavior patterns that are suggestive of neurotoxic properties. Biostable analogs based on this structure may in future provide analog leads with the potential to disrupt the important pupariation process in flies.