Evidence of poly(ADP-ribosylation) in the cockroach Periplaneta americana

Poly(ADP-ribosylation) is a post-translational modification of nuclear proteins typical of most eukaryotic cells. This process participates in DNA replication and repair and is mainly regulated by two enzymes, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, which is responsible for the synthesis of polymers of ADP-ribose, and poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase, which performs polymer degradation. The aim of this work was to investigate in the cockroach Periplaneta americana L. (Blattaria: Blattidae) the behaviour of poly(ADP-ribosylation). In particular, we addressed: (i) the possible modulation of poly(ADP-ribosylation) during the embryonic development; (ii) the expression of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and glycohydrolase in different tissues; and (iii) the role of poly(ADP-ribosylation) during spermatogenesis. In this work we demonstrated that: (i) as revealed by specific biochemical assays, active poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and glycohydrolase are present exclusively in P. americana embryos at early stages of development; (ii) an activity carrying out poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis was found in extracts from testes; and (iii) the synthesis of poly(ADP-ribose) occurs preferentially in differentiating spermatids/spermatozoa. Collectively, our results indicate that the poly(ADP-ribosylation) process in P. americana, which is a hemimetabolous insect, displays catalytical and structural features similar to those described in the holometabolous insects and in mammalian cells. Furthermore, this process appears to be modulated during embryonic development and spermatogenesis.