Isolation, characterization and molecular cloning of new antimicrobial peptides belonging to the brevinin-1 and temporin families from the skin of Hylarana latouchii (Anura: Ranidae)

Biochimie. 2009 Apr;91(4):540-7. doi: 10.1016/j.biochi.2009.01.007.

Abstract

Around 40 species of Hylarana amphibians are distributed in tropical and subtropical Asia, and Chinese broad-folded frog, Hylarana latouchii (Boulenger, 1899) is one of them. In this study, six different cDNAs encoding four novel antimicrobial peptide precursors were cloned by screening the cDNA library of the Chinese broad-folded frog skin. The protein sequence analysis demonstrated that two deduced peptides belong to the brevinin-1 family, and the other two belong to temporin family of amphibian antimicrobial peptides. Thus, they were named as brevinin-1LT1 (FMGSALRIAAKVLPAALCQIFKKC), brevinin-1LT2 (FFGSVLKVAAKVLPAALCQIFKKC), temporin-LT1 (FLPGLIAGIAKML-NH2) and temporin-LT2 (FLPIALKALGSIFPKIL-NH2), respectively. Furthermore, brevinin-1LT1 and temporin-LT1 were purified by HPLC from the skin secretion of H. latouchii. In this work, all the peptides kill microbes by membrane-disturbing mechanisms, and this procedure was visualized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Amphibian Proteins / chemistry*
  • Amphibian Proteins / genetics
  • Amphibian Proteins / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / chemistry*
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / genetics
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / pharmacology
  • Bacteria / drug effects*
  • Base Sequence
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Fungi / drug effects*
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Proteins / chemistry*
  • Proteins / genetics
  • Proteins / pharmacology
  • Ranidae / metabolism*
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Skin / chemistry
  • Skin / metabolism

Substances

  • Amphibian Proteins
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
  • Proteins
  • temporin
  • brevinin-1 protein, Rana