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García FA, Fuentes TF, Alonso IP, Bosch RA, Brunetti AE, Lopes NP. A Comprehensive Review of Patented Antimicrobial Peptides from Amphibian Anurans. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2024; 87:600-616. [PMID: 38412091 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.3c01040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Since the 1980s, studies of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) derived from anuran skin secretions have unveiled remarkable structural diversity and a wide range of activities. This study explores the potential of these peptides for drug development by examining granted patents, amino acid modifications related to patented peptides, and recent amphibians' taxonomic updates influencing AMP names. A total of 188 granted patents related to different anuran peptides were found, with Asia and North America being the predominant regions, contributing 65.4% and 15.4%, respectively. Conversely, although the Neotropical region is the world's most diversified region for amphibians, it holds only 3.7% of the identified patents. The antimicrobial activities of the peptides are claimed in 118 of these 188 patents. Additionally, for 160 of these peptides, 66 patents were registered for the natural sequence, 69 for both natural and derivative sequences, and 20 exclusively for sequence derivatives. Notably, common modifications include alterations in the side chains of amino acids and modifications to the peptides' N- and C-termini. This review underscores the biomedical potential of anuran-derived AMPs, emphasizing the need to bridge the gap between AMP description and practical drug development while highlighting the urgency of biodiversity conservation to facilitate biomedical discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiola Almeida García
- NPPNS, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, Department of Physics and Chemistry, University of São Paulo, Avenida do Café, s/no, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Talia Frómeta Fuentes
- Center for Protein Studies, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, 25 Street No. 455, Vedado 10400, Cuba
| | - Isel Pascual Alonso
- Center for Protein Studies, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, 25 Street No. 455, Vedado 10400, Cuba
| | - Roberto Alonso Bosch
- Natural History Museum Felipe Poey, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Vedado 10400, Cuba
| | - Andrés E Brunetti
- Institute of Subtropical Biology (CONICET-UNAM), National University of Misiones, Posadas N3300LQH, Argentina
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | - Norberto Peporine Lopes
- NPPNS, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, Department of Physics and Chemistry, University of São Paulo, Avenida do Café, s/no, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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Reyes-Becerril M, Maldonado M, Vimolmangkang S, Angulo C. In vivo and ex vivo studies support the immunostimulant and immunoprotective effect of Damiana (Turnera diffusa Willd) in Almaco Jack (Seriola rivoliana). FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2024; 146:109369. [PMID: 38220122 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2024.109369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Damiana (Turnera diffusa Willd) was evaluated in vitro for antioxidant and antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes (as a preliminary screening assessment) by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC)-Direct bioautography. A study was performed in vivo to evaluate the effects of Damiana enriched diets at 0.5 % on immune parameters in mucus and serum and gene expression in Almaco Jack (Seriola rivoliana) intestine after two and four weeks; an infection with Aeromonas hydrophila at 1x107 colony forming units (CFU) followed and an ex vivo study was carried out using head-kidney leukocytes. Ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) assays showed high antioxidant activities in Damiana leaves; even in the ABTS assay, Damiana at 300 μg/mL showed similar activity to ascorbic acid - the standard control. Damiana exhibited strong in vitro antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and S. pyogenes. In vivo studies showed a strong enhancement of myeloperoxidase, nitric oxide, superoxide dismutase, and catalase activities in mucus and serum of S. rivoliana supplemented with Damiana; their immunological response enhanced after infection with A. hydrophila. IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-10 gene expressions upregulated in the fish intestine challenged with the bacterium. Piscidin and macrophage (MARCO) receptor gene expression up-regulated at week 4 and down-regulated after infection. Intestinal histology results confirm that Damiana not cause inflammation or damage. Finally, the ex vivo study confirmed the immunostimulant and protective effects of Damiana through increased phagocytic, respiratory burst, myeloperoxidase activities and nitric oxide generation before and upon the bacterial encounter. These results support the idea that Damiana has the potential as an immunostimulant additive for diets in aquaculture by enhancing immune parameters and protecting Almaco Jack against A. hydrophila infections upon four weeks of supplementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha Reyes-Becerril
- Immunology & Vaccinology Group. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, SC., Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, B.C.S. C.P., 23096, Mexico
| | - Minerva Maldonado
- Immunology & Vaccinology Group. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, SC., Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, B.C.S. C.P., 23096, Mexico
| | - Sornkanok Vimolmangkang
- Center of Excellence in Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand; Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Carlos Angulo
- Immunology & Vaccinology Group. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, SC., Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, B.C.S. C.P., 23096, Mexico.
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Carrillo JFC, Boaretto AG, Santana DJ, Silva DB. Skin secretions of Leptodactylidae (Anura) and their potential applications. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2024; 30:e20230042. [PMID: 38374940 PMCID: PMC10876013 DOI: 10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2023-0042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The skin of anuran species is a protective barrier against predators and pathogens, showing also chemical defense by substances that represent a potential source for bioactive substances. This review describes the current chemical and biological knowledge from the skin secretions of Leptodactylidae species, one of the most diverse neotropical frog families. These skin secretions reveal a variety of substances such as amines (12), neuropeptides (16), and antimicrobial peptides (72). The amines include histamine and its methylated derivatives, tryptamine derivatives and quaternary amines. The peptides of Leptodactylidae species show molecular weight up to 3364 Da and ocellatins are the most reported. The peptides exhibit commonly glycine (G) or glycine-valine (GV) as C-terminal amino acids, and the most common N-terminal amino acids are glutamic acid (E), lysine (K), and valine (V). The substances from Leptodactylidae species have been evaluated against pathogenic microorganisms, particularly Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and the most active peptides showed MIC of 1-15 µM. Furthermore, some compounds showed also pharmacological properties such as immunomodulation, treatment of degenerative diseases, anticancer, and antioxidant. Currently, only 9% of the species in this family have been properly studied, highlighting a large number of unstudied species such as an entire subfamily (Paratelmatobiinae). The ecological context, functions, and evolution of peptides and amines in this family are poorly understood and represent a large field for further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan F. C. Carrillo
- Program in Ecology and Conservation, Institute of Biosciences,
Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
- Laboratory of Systematics and Biogeography of Amphibians and
Reptiles (Mapinguari), Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso
do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
- Laboratory of Natural Products and Mass Spectrometry (LaPNEM),
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Food and Nutrition (FACFAN), Federal University
of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
| | - Amanda Galdi Boaretto
- Program in Ecology and Conservation, Institute of Biosciences,
Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
- Laboratory of Natural Products and Mass Spectrometry (LaPNEM),
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Food and Nutrition (FACFAN), Federal University
of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
| | - Diego J. Santana
- Program in Ecology and Conservation, Institute of Biosciences,
Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
- Laboratory of Systematics and Biogeography of Amphibians and
Reptiles (Mapinguari), Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso
do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
| | - Denise Brentan Silva
- Program in Ecology and Conservation, Institute of Biosciences,
Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
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Spinelli R, Rietmann Á, Sanchis I, Goicoechea H, Siano Á. Toxicity Evaluation of Anti-cholinesterasic Amphibian Extracts by MTT and an Optimized Artemia salina Test. Chem Biodivers 2024; 21:e202301367. [PMID: 38151826 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202301367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
The amphibian skin is an important source of bioactive compounds. Recently, our workgroup reported the bioactivity of new extracts from the Hylidae, Microhylidae and Leptodactylidae families against several pathways involved in Alzheimer's disease. However, since cytotoxicity can be a limiting factor for their applicability, we evaluated the toxicity of nine amphibian skin extracts with reported anticholinesterase activity, using the traditional MTT assay and an optimized Artemia salina test. The proposed improvement, guided by experimental design, aims to reduce the amount of biological sample needed. Overall, we proved that the active extracts were non-toxic at effective concentration against cholinesterases (AChE/BChE), positioning the amphibian skin as a promising and preliminary safe source of bioactive compounds in the anti-Alzheimer's treatment. Interestingly, we demonstrated that both toxicity assays can discriminate between toxic and non-toxic samples. We propose the A. salina bioassay as a reliable and cost-effective alternative for early toxicity screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roque Spinelli
- Laboratorio de Péptidos Bioactivos (LPB), Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), Santa Fe
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
| | - Álvaro Rietmann
- Laboratorio de Péptidos Bioactivos (LPB), Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), Santa Fe
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
| | - Iván Sanchis
- Laboratorio de Péptidos Bioactivos (LPB), Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), Santa Fe
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
| | - Héctor Goicoechea
- Laboratorio de Desarrollo Analítico y Quimiometría (LADAQ), Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), Santa Fe, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
| | - Álvaro Siano
- Laboratorio de Péptidos Bioactivos (LPB), Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), Santa Fe
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
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Qu B, Yuan J, Liu X, Zhang S, Ma X, Lu L. Anticancer activities of natural antimicrobial peptides from animals. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1321386. [PMID: 38298540 PMCID: PMC10827920 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1321386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer is the most common cause of human death worldwide, posing a serious threat to human health and having a negative impact on the economy. In the past few decades, significant progress has been made in anticancer therapies, but traditional anticancer therapies, including radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, immunotherapy and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), have serious side effects, low specificity, and the emergence of drug resistance. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new treatment methods to improve efficacy and reduce side effects. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) exist in the innate immune system of various organisms. As the most promising alternatives to traditional drugs for treating cancers, some AMPs also have been proven to possess anticancer activities, which are defined as anticancer peptides (ACPs). These peptides have the advantages of being able to specifically target cancer cells and have less toxicity to normal tissues. More and more studies have found that marine and terrestrial animals contain a large amount of ACPs. In this article, we introduced the animal derived AMPs with anti-cancer activity, and summarized the types of tumor cells inhibited by ACPs, the mechanisms by which they exert anti-tumor effects and clinical applications of ACPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baozhen Qu
- Qingdao Cancer Prevention and Treatment Research Institute, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Qingdao Central Medical Group), Qingdao, China
| | - Jiangshui Yuan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qingdao Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Qingdao Municipal Hospital), Qingdao, China
| | - Xueli Liu
- Qingdao Cancer Prevention and Treatment Research Institute, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Qingdao Central Medical Group), Qingdao, China
- Medical Ethics Committee Office, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Qingdao Central Medical Group), Qingdao, China
| | - Shicui Zhang
- College of Life and Geographic Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Ecology of Pamirs Plateau in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Kashi University, Kashi, China
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Xuezhen Ma
- Department of Oncology, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Qingdao Central Medical Group), Qingdao, China
| | - Linlin Lu
- Qingdao Cancer Prevention and Treatment Research Institute, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Qingdao Central Medical Group), Qingdao, China
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Yao A, Liu T, Cai Y, Zhou S, Chen X, Zhou M, Ma C, Chen T, Shaw C, Wang L. Progressive Design of a Ranatuerin-2 Peptide from Amolops wuyiensis: Enhancement of Bioactivity and In Vivo Efficacy. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 13:5. [PMID: 38275314 PMCID: PMC10812557 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that exert multiple functions are considered promising candidates to combat the bacterial drug resistance crisis. Nowadays, targeted peptide modification has been widely recognised to improve biological activity and make up for deficiencies in clinical applications such as toxicity. In this study, a helix-loop peptide was isolated and identified from the skin secretion of the Wuyi torrent frog Amolops wuyiensis, namely, ranatuerin-2-AW (R2AW) (GFMDTAKNVAKNVAATLLDKLKCKITGGC). Target modifications were made to R2AW to study the structure-activity relationships and to optimise its bioactivities. Five analogues were progressively designed via residue substitution and truncation and the antibacterial and anticancer activities were evaluated. We found that the serine-substitution and cyclic-domain-deletion products showed similar antibacterial activity to the natural peptide R2AW, implying that the disulphide bridge and Rana box were dispensable for the antibacterial activity of ranatuerin-2 peptides. Notably, the cationicity- and hydrophobicity-enhanced variant, [Lys4,19, Leu20]R2AW(1-22)-NH2, exhibited significantly optimised antibacterial and anticancer activities. Additionally, it killed bacteria by membrane disruption at a highly efficient rate. Moreover, [Lys4,19, Leu20]R2AW(1-22)-NH2 exerted potential in vivo efficacy in a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-infected waxworm model. Overall, this study demonstrated some rational design ideas for optimising the dual antibacterial and anticancer activities of ranatuerin-2 peptides and it proposes [Lys4,19, Leu20]R2AW(1-22)-NH2 as an appealing candidate for therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aifang Yao
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Tianxing Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (T.L.); (Y.C.); (S.Z.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Yuhai Cai
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (T.L.); (Y.C.); (S.Z.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Siqi Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (T.L.); (Y.C.); (S.Z.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Xiaoling Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (T.L.); (Y.C.); (S.Z.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Mei Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (T.L.); (Y.C.); (S.Z.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Chengbang Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (T.L.); (Y.C.); (S.Z.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Tianbao Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (T.L.); (Y.C.); (S.Z.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Chris Shaw
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (T.L.); (Y.C.); (S.Z.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Lei Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (T.L.); (Y.C.); (S.Z.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
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Chen Q, Wu J, Li X, Ye Z, Yang H, Mu L. Amphibian-Derived Natural Anticancer Peptides and Proteins: Mechanism of Action, Application Strategies, and Prospects. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13985. [PMID: 37762285 PMCID: PMC10530844 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241813985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is one of the major diseases that seriously threaten human life. Traditional anticancer therapies have achieved remarkable efficacy but have also some unavoidable side effects. Therefore, more and more research focuses on highly effective and less-toxic anticancer substances of natural origin. Amphibian skin is rich in active substances such as biogenic amines, alkaloids, alcohols, esters, peptides, and proteins, which play a role in various aspects such as anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anticancer functions, and are one of the critical sources of anticancer substances. Currently, a range of natural anticancer substances are known from various amphibians. This paper aims to review the physicochemical properties, anticancer mechanisms, and potential applications of these peptides and proteins to advance the identification and therapeutic use of natural anticancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Hailong Yang
- Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Lixian Mu
- Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
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Chianese A, Zannella C, Monti A, Doti N, Sanna G, Manzin A, De Filippis A, Galdiero M. Hylin-a1: A Pan-Inhibitor against Emerging and Re-Emerging Respiratory Viruses. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13888. [PMID: 37762191 PMCID: PMC10531407 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241813888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Pandemic and epidemic outbreaks of respiratory viruses are a challenge for public health and social care system worldwide, leading to high mortality and morbidity among the human populations. In light of the limited efficacy of current vaccines and antiviral drugs against respiratory viral infections and the emergence and re-emergence of new viruses, novel broad-spectrum antiviral drugs are needed for the prevention and treatment of these infections. Antimicrobial peptides with an antiviral effect, also known as AVPs, have already been reported as potent inhibitors of viral infections by affecting different stages of the virus lifecycle. In the present study, we analyzed the activity of the AVP Hylin-a1, secreted by the frog Hypsiboas albopunctatus, against a wide range of respiratory viruses, including the coronaviruses HCoV-229E and SARS-CoV-2, measles virus, human parainfluenza virus type 3, and influenza virus H1N1. We report a significant inhibitory effect on infectivity in all the enveloped viruses, whereas there was a lack of activity against the naked coxsackievirus B3. Considering the enormous therapeutic potential of Hylin-a1, further experiments are required to elucidate its mechanism of action and to increase its stability by modifying the native sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa Chianese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (A.C.); (C.Z.); (A.D.F.)
| | - Carla Zannella
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (A.C.); (C.Z.); (A.D.F.)
| | - Alessandra Monti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.M.); (N.D.)
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.M.); (N.D.)
| | - Giuseppina Sanna
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, 09042 Monserrato, Italy; (G.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Aldo Manzin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, 09042 Monserrato, Italy; (G.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Anna De Filippis
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (A.C.); (C.Z.); (A.D.F.)
| | - Massimiliano Galdiero
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (A.C.); (C.Z.); (A.D.F.)
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9
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Rollins-Smith LA. The importance of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in amphibian skin defense. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2023; 142:104657. [PMID: 36754220 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2023.104657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are produced for defense in nearly all taxa from simple bacteria to complex mammalian species. Some amphibian families have developed this defensive strategy to a high level of sophistication by loading the AMPs into specialized granular glands within the dermis. Enervated by the sympathetic nervous system, the granular glands are poised to deliver an array of AMPs to cleanse the wound and facilitate healing. There have been a number of excellent review publications in recent years that describe amphibian AMPs with an emphasis on their possible uses for human medicine. Instead, my aim here is to review what is known about the nature of amphibian AMPs, the diversity of amphibian AMPs, regulation of their production, and to provide the accumulated evidence that they do, indeed, play an important role in the protection of amphibian skin, vital for survival. While much has been learned about amphibian AMPs, there are still important gaps in our understanding of peptide synthesis, storage, and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise A Rollins-Smith
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
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10
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Conlon JM, Hunter L, Attoub S, Casciaro B, Mechkarska M, Abdel-Wahab YHA. Antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and insulin-releasing activities of the amphibian host-defense peptide ocellatin-3N and its L-lysine-substituted analogs. J Pept Sci 2023; 29:e3463. [PMID: 36426386 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The host-defense peptide ocellatin-3N (GIFDVLKNLAKGVITSLAS.NH2 ), first isolated from the Caribbean frog Leptodactylus nesiotus, inhibited growth of clinically relevant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as a strain of the major emerging yeast pathogen Candida parapsilosis. Increasing cationicity while maintaining amphipathicity by the substitution Asp4 →Lys increased potency against the microorganisms by between 4- and 16-fold (MIC ≤3 μM) compared with the naturally occurring peptide. The substitution Ala18 →Lys and the double substitution Asp4 →Lys and Ala18 →Lys had less effects on potency. The [D4K] analog also showed 2.5- to 4-fold greater cytotoxic potency against non-small-cell lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells, breast adenocarcinoma MDA-MB-231 cells, and colorectal adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells (LC50 values in the range of 12-20 μM) compared with ocellatin-3N but was less hemolytic to mouse erythrocytes. However, the peptide showed no selectivity for tumor-derived cells [LC50 = 20 μM for human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs)]. Ocellatin-3N and [D4K]ocellatin-3N stimulated the release of insulin from BRIN-BD11 clonal β-cells at concentrations ≥1 nM, and [A18K]ocellatin-3N, at concentrations ≥0.1 nM. No peptide stimulated the release of lactate dehydrogenase at concentrations up to 3 μM, indicating that plasma membrane integrity had been preserved. The three peptides produced an increase in intracellular [Ca2+ ] in BRIN-BD11 cells when incubated at a concentration of 1 μM. In view of its high insulinotropic potency and relatively low hemolytic activity, the [A18K] ocellatin analog may represent a template for the design of agents with therapeutic potential for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Michael Conlon
- Diabetes Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, UK
| | - Lauren Hunter
- Diabetes Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, UK
| | - Samir Attoub
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Bruno Casciaro
- Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Milena Mechkarska
- Department of Life Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Yasser H A Abdel-Wahab
- Diabetes Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, UK
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11
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Adeyemi OD, Tian Y, Khwatenge CN, Grayfer L, Sang Y. Molecular diversity and functional implication of amphibian interferon complex: Remarking immune adaptation in vertebrate evolution. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2023; 140:104624. [PMID: 36586430 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2022.104624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Cross-species comparison of vertebrate genomes has unraveled previously unknown complexities of interferon (IFN) systems in amphibian species. Recent genomic curation revealed that amphibian species have evolved expanded repertoires of four types of intron-containing IFN genes akin to those seen in jawed fish, intronless type I IFNs and intron-containing type III IFNs akin to those seen in amniotes, as well as uniquely intronless type III IFNs. This appears to be the case with at least ten analyzed amphibian species; with distinct species encoding diverse repertoires of these respective IFN gene subsets. Amphibians represent a key stage in vertebrate evolution, and in this context offer a unique perspective into the divergent and converged pathways leading to the emergence of distinct IFN families and groups. Recent studies have begun to unravel the roles of amphibian IFNs during these animals' immune responses in general and during their antiviral responses, in particular. However, the pleiotropic potentials of these highly expanded amphibian IFN repertoires warrant further studies. Based on recent reports and our omics analyses using Xenopus models, we posit that amphibian IFN complex may have evolved novel functions, as indicated by their extensive molecular diversity. Here, we provide an overview and an update of the present understanding of the amphibian IFN complex in the context of the evolution of vertebrate immune systems. A greater understanding of the amphibian IFN complex will grant new perspectives on the evolution of vertebrate immunity and may yield new measures by which to counteract the global amphibian declines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwaseun D Adeyemi
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Tennessee State University, 3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Yun Tian
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Tennessee State University, 3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Collins N Khwatenge
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Tennessee State University, 3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Leon Grayfer
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Yongming Sang
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Tennessee State University, 3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard, Nashville, TN, USA.
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12
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Liao F, Chen Y, Shu A, Chen X, Wang T, Jiang Y, Ma C, Zhou M, Chen T, Shaw C, Wang L. A Novel Strategy for the Design of Aurein 1.2 Analogs with Enhanced Bioactivities by Conjunction of Cell-Penetrating Regions. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:antibiotics12020412. [PMID: 36830322 PMCID: PMC9952496 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12020412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The rational design modification of membrane-active peptide structures by introducing additional membrane-penetrating regions has become a good strategy for the improvement of action and potency. Aurein 1.2 (GLFDIIKKIAESF-NH2) is a multifunctional antimicrobial peptide isolated from the green and golden bell frog, Litoria aurea, and the southern bell frog Litoria raniformis skin secretions. Its bio-functionality has been widely investigated. However, its lack of a potent action failed to provide aurein 1.2 with a competitive edge for further development as a therapeutic agent for clinical use. Herein, aurein 1.2 was chosen as a template for rational modification to achieve a more potent bio-functionality. KLA-2 (GLFDIIKKLAKLAESF-NH2), which a double KLA region inserted into the sequence, presented a 2-16-fold enhancement of antimicrobial activity, a 2-8-fold greater anti-biofilm activity (including biofilm prevention and eradication), and a 7-fold more potent anti-proliferation activity and hence was regarded as the most broad-spectrum active peptide. Additionally, with respect to antimicrobial activity, the IIKK-modified analog, IK-3 (GLFDIIKKIIKKIIKKI-NH2), also demonstrated a potent enhancement of activity against various pathogens, exhibiting a 2-8-fold enhanced activity compared to the parent peptide. Moreover, the selectivities of KLA-1 and KLA-2 were enhanced significantly. In conclusion, peptide modification, through the introduction of additional membrane penetrating regions, can increase both the potency and activity spectra of natural template peptides, making them suitable candidates for new drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengting Liao
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Yuping Chen
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Jiangsu Vocational College of Medicine, Yancheng 224005, China
| | - Anmei Shu
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Jiangsu Vocational College of Medicine, Yancheng 224005, China
| | - Xiaoling Chen
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
- Correspondence: (X.C.); (L.W.)
| | - Tao Wang
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Yangyang Jiang
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Chengbang Ma
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Mei Zhou
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Tianbao Chen
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Chris Shaw
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Lei Wang
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
- Correspondence: (X.C.); (L.W.)
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13
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An J, Tsopmejio ISN, Wang Z, Li W. Review on Extraction, Modification, and Synthesis of Natural Peptides and Their Beneficial Effects on Skin. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28020908. [PMID: 36677965 PMCID: PMC9863410 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28020908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Peptides, functional nutrients with a size between those of large proteins and small amino acids, are easily absorbed by the human body. Therefore, they are seeing increasing use in clinical medicine and have revealed immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties which could make them effective in healing skin wounds. This review sorted and summarized the relevant literature about peptides during the past decade. Recent works on the extraction, modification and synthesis of peptides were reviewed. Importantly, the unique beneficial effects of peptides on the skin were extensively explored, providing ideas for the development and innovation of peptides and laying a knowledge foundation for the clinical application of peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiabing An
- College of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | | | - Zi Wang
- College of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
- Correspondence: (Z.W.); (W.L.); Tel./Fax: +86-431-84533304 (W.L.)
| | - Wei Li
- College of Life Sciences, Engineering Research Center of the Chinese Ministry of Education for Bioreactor and Pharmaceutical Development, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
- Correspondence: (Z.W.); (W.L.); Tel./Fax: +86-431-84533304 (W.L.)
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14
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Guo S, Zhang D, Wang H, An Q, Yu G, Han J, Jiang C, Huang J. Editorial: Computational and systematic analysis of multi-omics data for drug discovery and development. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1146896. [PMID: 36895719 PMCID: PMC9989304 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1146896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shicheng Guo
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Dake Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology, Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, China
| | - Hu Wang
- Institute of Cell Engineering, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Qin An
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Guangchuang Yu
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junwei Han
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Chunjie Jiang
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Jianfeng Huang
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, United States
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15
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10-mer and 9-mer WALK Peptides with Both Antibacterial and Anti-Inflammatory Activities. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11111588. [PMID: 36358242 PMCID: PMC9686928 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11111588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are multifunctional host defense peptides (HDPs) that are valuable for various therapeutic applications. In particular, natural and artificial AMPs with dual antibacterial immunomodulatory functions emerged as promising candidates for the development of therapeutic agents to treat infectious inflammation. In an effort to develop useful AMP variants with short lengths and simple amino acid composition, we devised a de novo design strategy to generate a series of model peptide isomer sequences, named WALK peptides, i.e., tryptophan (W)-containing amphipathic-helical (A) leucine (L)/lysine (K) peptides. Here, we generated two groups of WALK peptide isomers: W2L4K4 (WALK244.01~WALK244.10) and W2L4K3 (WALK243.01~WALK243.09). Most showed apparent antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria at a concentration of approximately 4 μg/mL along with varied hemolytic activities against human red blood cells. In addition, some exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activities without any significant cytotoxicity in macrophages. Collectively, these results suggest that the two selected peptides, WALK244.04 and WALK243.04, showed promise for the development of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agents.
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16
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Demori I, El Rashed Z, De Negri Atanasio G, Parodi A, Millo E, Salis A, Costa A, Rosa G, Zanotti Russo M, Salvidio S, Cortese K, Grasselli E. First Evidence of Anti-Steatotic Action of Macrotympanain A1, an Amphibian Skin Peptide from Odorrana macrotympana. Molecules 2022; 27:7417. [PMID: 36364243 PMCID: PMC9656375 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27217417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Many different amphibian skin peptides have been characterized and proven to exert various biological actions, such as wound-healing, immunomodulatory, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic effects. In this work, the possible anti-steatotic effect of macrotympanain A1 (MA1) (FLPGLECVW), a skin peptide isolated from the Chinese odorous frog Odorrana macrotympana, was investigated. We used a well-established in vitro model of hepatic steatosis, consisting of lipid-loaded rat hepatoma FaO cells. In this model, a 24 h treatment with 10 µg/mL MA1 exerted a significant anti-steatotic action, being able to reduce intracellular triglyceride content. Accordingly, the number and diameter of cytosolic lipid droplets (LDs) were reduced by peptide treatment. The expression of key genes of hepatic lipid metabolism, such as PPARs and PLINs, was measured by real-time qPCR. MA1 counteracted the fatty acid-induced upregulation of PPARγ expression and increased PLIN3 expression, suggesting a role in promoting lipophagy. The present data demonstrate for the first time a direct anti-steatotic effect of a peptide from amphibian skin secretion and pave the way to further studies on the use of amphibian peptides for beneficial actions against metabolic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Demori
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy
- Inter-University Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching & Research (Centro 3R), 56122 Pisa, Italy
| | - Zeinab El Rashed
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Giulia De Negri Atanasio
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Alice Parodi
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), Section of Biochemistry, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV 1, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Enrico Millo
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), Section of Biochemistry, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV 1, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Annalisa Salis
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), Section of Biochemistry, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV 1, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Andrea Costa
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Giacomo Rosa
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Sebastiano Salvidio
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Katia Cortese
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), Cellular Electron Microscopy Laboratory, University of Genoa, Via Antonio de Toni 14, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Elena Grasselli
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy
- Inter-University Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching & Research (Centro 3R), 56122 Pisa, Italy
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17
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Samgina TY, Vasileva ID, Trebse P, Torkar G, Surin AK, Meng Z, Zubarev RA, Lebedev AT. Mass Spectrometry Differentiation between Rana arvalis Populations Based on Their Skin Peptidome Composition. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2022; 33:1480-1491. [PMID: 35820801 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.2c00084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Skin secretion of amphibians often represents the only weapon of these species against pathogens and predators. Peptides constitute the major portion of active molecules of that weapon and may be treated as potential pharmaceuticals for future generations. The first step of their efficient use involves establishing of their primary structure, i.e., sequencing. De novo sequencing by means of mass spectrometry was applied to Rana arvalis species, collected in the spring 2021 in Central Slovenia (vicinity of Ljubljana). HPLC-ESI-HRMS/MS with Orbitrap instruments was used to establish the skin peptidome of these species and compare it with the earlier identified skin peptidome of the Moscow population of Rana arvalis. Application of CID, HCD, ETD, and EThcD enabled detecting and sequencing 18 peptides; five of them were novel and may be treated as possible biomarkers of the Ljubljana population of Rana arvalis. Interestingly, representatives of two peptide families (temporins and brevinins 2) were not found in the Moscow population. MS3 modes, first of all EThcD, demonstrated their great potential in the de novo sequencing, including extraction of the sequence information from the intact peptides with disulfide cycle (rana box) in their structure and differentiation of isomeric Leu/Ile residues. Thus, all six isomeric residues were reliably distinguished in the novel melittin-related peptide AK-23-1. In addition, another post-translational modification dealing with carbonylation of the N-terminal Gly of novel temporin AVa was established using the MS3 mode. The obtained results demonstrate the efficiency of the use of MS3 tools in proteomics/peptidomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Yu Samgina
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Department of Organic Chemistry, Moscow 119991 Russia
| | - Irina D Vasileva
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Department of Organic Chemistry, Moscow 119991 Russia
| | - Polonca Trebse
- University of Ljubljana Faculty of Health Sciences, Zdravstvena pot 5, Ljubljana 1000 Slovenia
- MASSECO d.o.o. Erazmova 20, Postojna 6230, Slovenia
| | - Gregor Torkar
- University of Ljubljana Faculty of Education, Department for Biology, Chemistry and Home Economics, Kardeljeva ploščad 16, Ljubljana 1000 Slovenia
| | - Alexey K Surin
- Pushchino Branch, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Nauki 6, Pushchino, Moscow 142290, Russia
| | - Zhaowei Meng
- Department of Medicinal Biochemistry and Biophysics, Division of Molecular Biometry, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 17177 Sweden
| | - Roman A Zubarev
- Department of Medicinal Biochemistry and Biophysics, Division of Molecular Biometry, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 17177 Sweden
| | - Albert T Lebedev
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Department of Organic Chemistry, Moscow 119991 Russia
- MASSECO d.o.o. Erazmova 20, Postojna 6230, Slovenia
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18
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Extraction and Characterization of β-Viginin Protein Hydrolysates from Cowpea Flour as a New Manufacturing Active Ingredient. TECHNOLOGIES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/technologies10040089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The increased mortality rates associated with antibiotic resistance has become a significant public health problem worldwide. Living beings produce a variety of endogenous compounds to defend themselves against exogenous pathogens. The knowledge of these endogenous compounds may contribute to the development of improved bioactive ingredients with antimicrobial properties, useful against conventional antibiotic resistance. Cowpea is an herbaceous legume of great interest due to its high protein content and high productivity rates. The study of genetic homology of vicillin (7S) from cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) with vicilins from soybean and other beans, such as adzuki, in addition to the need for further studies about potential biological activities of this vegetable, led us to seek the isolation of the vicilin fraction from cowpea and to evaluate the potential in vitro inhibitory action of pathogenic microorganisms. The cowpea beta viginin protein was isolated, characterized, and hydrolyzed in silico and in vitro by two enzymes, namely, pepsin and chymotrypsin. The antimicrobial activity of the protein hydrolysate fractions of cowpea flour was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, confirming the potential use of the peptides as innovative antimicrobial agents.
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19
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Kara Ş, Kürekci C, Akcan M. Design and modification of frog skin peptide brevinin-1GHa with enhanced antimicrobial activity on Gram-positive bacterial strains. Amino Acids 2022; 54:1327-1336. [DOI: 10.1007/s00726-022-03189-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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20
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Anurans against SARS-CoV-2: A review of the potential antiviral action of anurans cutaneous peptides. Virus Res 2022; 315:198769. [PMID: 35430319 PMCID: PMC9008983 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2022.198769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
At the end of 2019, in China, clinical signs and symptoms of unknown etiology have been reported in several patients whose sample sequencing revealed pneumonia caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. COVID-19 is a disease triggered by this virus, and in 2020, the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic. Since then, efforts have been made to find effective therapeutic agents against this disease. Identifying novel natural antiviral drugs can be an alternative to treatment. For this reason, antimicrobial peptides secreted by anurans' skin have gained attention for showing a promissory antiviral effect. Hence, this review aimed to elucidate how and which peptides secreted by anurans' skin can be considered therapeutic agents to treat or prevent human viral infectious diseases. Through a literature review, we attempted to identify potential antiviral frogs' peptides to combat COVID-19. As a result, the Magainin-1 and -2 peptides, from the Magainin family, the Dermaseptin-S9, from the Dermaseptin family, and Caerin 1.6 and 1.10, from the Caerin family, are molecules that already showed antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2 in silico. In addition to these peptides, this review suggests that future studies should use other families that already have antiviral action against other viruses, such as Brevinins, Maculatins, Esculentins, Temporins, and Urumins. To apply these peptides as therapeutic agents, experimental studies with peptides already tested in silico and new studies with other families not tested yet should be considered.
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21
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Picturins and Pictuseptins, two novel antimicrobial peptide families from the skin secretions of the Chachi treefrog, Boana picturata. J Proteomics 2022; 264:104633. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2022.104633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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22
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Reptiles as Promising Sources of Medicinal Natural Products for Cancer Therapeutic Drugs. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14040874. [PMID: 35456708 PMCID: PMC9025323 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14040874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural products have historically played an important role as a source of therapeutic drugs for various diseases, and the development of medicinal natural products is still a field with high potential. Although diverse drugs have been developed for incurable diseases for several decades, discovering safe and efficient anticancer drugs remains a formidable challenge. Reptiles, as one source of Asian traditional medicines, are known to possess anticancer properties and have been used for a long time without a clarified scientific background. Recently, it has been reported that extracts, crude peptides, sera, and venom isolated from reptiles could effectively inhibit the survival and proliferation of various cancer cells. In this article, we summarize recent studies applying ingredients derived from reptiles in cancer therapy and discuss the difficulties and prospective development of natural product research.
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Overview of Host Defense Peptides with Promising Anti-Breast Cancer Activity. SERBIAN JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL RESEARCH 2022. [DOI: 10.2478/sjecr-2021-0052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women worldwide. The main limitations of conventional anti-cancer therapy, including breast cancer treatment, are side effects and the development of resistance to chemotherapeutics. Host defense peptides (HDPs) are bioactive compounds of innate immunity isolated from almost all living organisms, which exhibit wide range of biological activities. This review focuses on the anti-cancer effects of HDPs and their therapeutic potential against breast cancer. Numerous HDPs from different sources, including mammalian and amphibian origin, and their chemically modified analogues, exert the spectrum of anti-cancer activities. These effects include direct disruption of cancer cell membrane, induction of apoptosis, inhibition of angiogenesis and cancer cell proliferation, but also the modulation of anti-cancer immune response. Selected examples of HDPs of different origin and their anti-breast cancer capacities have been reviewed. Conclusively, due to their anti-cancer effects accompanied by substantial selectivity for cancer cells and low toxicity for normal cells, HDPs have been widely recognized as possible therapeutic agents.
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24
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Traditional and Computational Screening of Non-Toxic Peptides and Approaches to Improving Selectivity. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15030323. [PMID: 35337121 PMCID: PMC8953747 DOI: 10.3390/ph15030323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptides have positively impacted the pharmaceutical industry as drugs, biomarkers, or diagnostic tools of high therapeutic value. However, only a handful have progressed to the market. Toxicity is one of the main obstacles to translating peptides into clinics. Hemolysis or hemotoxicity, the principal source of toxicity, is a natural or disease-induced event leading to the death of vital red blood cells. Initial screenings for toxicity have been widely evaluated using erythrocytes as the gold standard. More recently, many online databases filled with peptide sequences and their biological meta-data have paved the way toward hemolysis prediction using user-friendly, fast-access machine learning-driven programs. This review details the growing contributions of in silico approaches developed in the last decade for the large-scale prediction of erythrocyte lysis induced by peptides. After an overview of the pharmaceutical landscape of peptide therapeutics, we highlighted the relevance of early hemolysis studies in drug development. We emphasized the computational models and algorithms used to this end in light of historical and recent findings in this promising field. We benchmarked seven predictors using peptides from different data sets, having 7–35 amino acids in length. According to our predictions, the models have scored an accuracy over 50.42% and a minimal Matthew’s correlation coefficient over 0.11. The maximum values for these statistical parameters achieved 100.0% and 1.00, respectively. Finally, strategies for optimizing peptide selectivity were described, as well as prospects for future investigations. The development of in silico predictive approaches to peptide toxicity has just started, but their important contributions clearly demonstrate their potential for peptide science and computer-aided drug design. Methodology refinement and increasing use will motivate the timely and accurate in silico identification of selective, non-toxic peptide therapeutics.
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25
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Lebedev AT, Vasileva ID, Samgina TY. FT-MS in the de novo top-down sequencing of natural nontryptic peptides. MASS SPECTROMETRY REVIEWS 2022; 41:284-313. [PMID: 33347655 DOI: 10.1002/mas.21678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The present review covers available results on the application of FT-MS for the de novo sequencing of natural peptides of various animals: cones, bees, snakes, amphibians, scorpions, and so forth. As these peptides are usually bioactive, the animals efficiently use them as a weapon against microorganisms or higher animals including predators. These peptides represent definite interest as drugs of future generations since the mechanism of their activity is completely different in comparison with that of the modern antibiotics. Utilization of those peptides as antibiotics can eliminate the problem of the bacterial resistance development. Sequence elucidation of these bioactive peptides becomes even more challenging when the species genome is not available and little is known about the protein origin and other properties of those peptides in the study. De novo sequencing may be the only option to obtain sequence information. The benefits of FT-MS for the top-down peptide sequencing, the general approaches of the de novxxo sequencing, the difficult cases involving sequence coverage, isobaric and isomeric amino acids, cyclization of short peptides, the presence of posttranslational modifications will be discussed in the review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert T Lebedev
- Organic Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Irina D Vasileva
- Organic Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Tatiana Y Samgina
- Organic Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
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Sabah Abdulridha Budair A, Ismail Al Hamdi K, Ali Mansour A. Non-Infectious Dermatological Manifestations among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus in Basrah, Iraq. ARCHIVES OF RAZI INSTITUTE 2022; 77:467-475. [PMID: 35891736 DOI: 10.22092/ari.2021.356588.1874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 09/30/2022]
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a clinical illness usually linked to a wide range of skin manifestations; however, skin, as the greatest organ in the body, has received little attention. As a result, this study aimed to detect the prevalence and pattern of non-infectious skin disorders among patients with diabetes. This study was carried out at the Faiha Specialized Diabetes, Endocrine, and Metabolism Center, Basrah Province, Iraq, from September 2020 to September 2021. The data were collected from 347 patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The exclusion criteria were patients with skin changes due to some medications, pregnancy, iatrogenic factors, skin infections, established hypo- or hyper-thyroidism, Cushing or adrenal insufficiency, pituitary disorders, end-stage renal impairment, malignancy, and established rheumatological disease and those who were on chemotherapy. Full dermatological examinations and screenings were performed under the supervision of a dermatologist expert and all clinically definable cutaneous lesions were recorded. The prevalence of skin lesions was estimated at 71.5% in patients. Pruritus, xerosis, acrochordon, diabetic dermopathy, acanthosis nigricans, and insulin-related lipohypertrophy were the commonest skin lesions reported among the patients. The occurrence of skin lesions in diabetic patients was proportional to the female gender, duration of disease, obesity, insulin therapy, and worse glycemic control. There was a broad spectrum of skin lesions in both T1DM and T2DM with corresponding prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - A Ali Mansour
- Faiha Specialized Diabetes, Endocrine, and Metabolism Center, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
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27
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Yu Z, Tang H, Cong W, Gao F, Li H, Hu H, Wang X, He S. Hydrocarbon stapling modification of peptide alyteserin-2a: Discovery of novel stapled peptide antitumor agents. J Pept Sci 2022; 28:e3401. [PMID: 34989078 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Alyteserin-2a (ILGKLLSTAAGLLSNL.NH2 ) is isolated from the skin exudates of midwife toad and has a wide range of biological applications. However, the use of alyteserin-2a as an antitumor agent is limited due to its structural flexibility. In this study, a series of stapled peptides were prepared through hydrocarbon stapling modification without destroying the key residues, and their chemical and biological properties were further evaluated for enhancing the application potential of alyteserin-2a in the field of antitumor drugs development. Among them, alyteserin-2a-Sp3 displayed significant improvement in helicity levels, protease resistance, and antitumor activity compared to that of the template peptide alyteserin-2a, indicating that alyteserin-2a-Sp3 had a potential to become a lead compound for the development of novel antitumor drugs. This study confirms the important effect of hydrocarbon stapling strategy on the secondary structure, hydrolase stability and biological activity of alyteserin-2a.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqiang Yu
- College of Sciences, Shanghai University, China
| | - Hua Tang
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, China
| | - Wei Cong
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, China
| | - Fei Gao
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, China
| | - Huaqiang Li
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, China
| | - Honggang Hu
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, China
| | - Xiaoyan Wang
- Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children, Chongqing, China
| | - Shipeng He
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, China
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28
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Xiao L, Yang X, Li J, Zhang P, Tang S, Cao D, Chen S, Li H, Zhang W, Chen G, Ni G, Wang T, Liu X. Caerin 1 Peptides, the Potential Jack-of-All-Trades for the Multiple Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Infection Treatment and Cancer Immunotherapy. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 2022:7841219. [PMID: 35445137 PMCID: PMC9015854 DOI: 10.1155/2022/7841219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance-related bacterial infections and cancers become huge challenges in human health in the 21st century. A number of naturally derived antimicrobial peptides possess multiple functions in host defense, including anti-infective and anticancer activities. One of which is known as the caerin 1 family peptides. The microbicidal properties of these peptides have been long discussed. The recent studies also established the usage of two members in this family, caerin 1.1 and caerin 1.9, in antimultiple antibiotic-resistant bacteria species. It is increasingly evident that caerin 1.1 and caerin 1.9 also contain additional activities in the suppression of tumor. In this review, we briefly outline the therapeutic potentials and possible mechanism of action of caerin 1.1 and 1.9 in the treatment of multiple antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection and cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liyin Xiao
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China
- Zhongao Biomedical Co. Ltd, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China
| | - Xiaodan Yang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China
| | - Junjie Li
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China
| | - Pingping Zhang
- Cancer Research Institute, First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong 528000, China
| | - Shuxian Tang
- Cancer Research Institute, First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong 528000, China
| | - Dongmin Cao
- Cancer Research Institute, First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong 528000, China
| | - Shu Chen
- Cancer Research Institute, First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong 528000, China
| | - Hejie Li
- Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, QLD 4558, Australia
| | - Wei Zhang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China
| | - Guoqiang Chen
- Cancer Research Institute, First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong 528000, China
| | - Guoying Ni
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China
- Cancer Research Institute, First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong 528000, China
- Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, QLD 4558, Australia
| | - Tianfang Wang
- Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, QLD 4558, Australia
| | - Xiaosong Liu
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China
- Zhongao Biomedical Co. Ltd, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China
- Cancer Research Institute, First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong 528000, China
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Posada V, Espejo BF, Orduz S. De novo design of short antimicrobial lipopeptides. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2021; 93:e20210362. [PMID: 34817038 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202120210362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics available leads to the search for new compounds with antimicrobial potential, such as peptides and lipopeptides. In this work, eight short lipopeptides with the structural pattern Cn-X1 X2 X3-NH2 were de novo designed, synthesized by Fmoc solid phase and characterized by instrumental techniques. The results of the in vitro tests indicated that two of them, LIP 4 and LIP 12 display antibacterial activity against 4 pathogenic bacteria with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) between 9.50 and 100 μM and between 8.50 and 10.0 μM, respectively; they did not displayed toxicity to human erythrocytes at concentrations between 3.13 and 50.0 μM. The antibacterial mechanism of action observed by scanning electron microscopy indicate that the cell membrane was the target, causing the formation of blisters and vesicles, with size ranging from 100 to 120 nm. The lipopeptide LIP 12, with higher activity, was stable to proteases of human blood serum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Posada
- Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Medellin, Escuela de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Carrera 65, No. 59A - 110, 050034, Medellin, Colombia
| | - Blanca Fabiola Espejo
- Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Medellin, Escuela de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Carrera 65, No. 59A - 110, 050034, Medellin, Colombia
| | - Sergio Orduz
- Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Medellin, Escuela de Biociencias, Facultad de Ciencias, Carrera 65, No. 59A - 110, 050034, Medellin, Colombia
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30
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Zhang R, Gao J, Xie H, Sun Y, Zhang Y, Song J, Xiang N, Li Z. The Prepropalustrin-2CE2 and Preprobrevinin-2CE3 Gene from Rana Chensinensis: Gene Expression, Genomic Organization, and Functional Analysis of the Promoter Activity. Protein Pept Lett 2021; 29:143-155. [PMID: 34823453 DOI: 10.2174/0929866528666211125105627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Palustrin-2CE2 and brevinin-2CE3 are antimicrobial peptides from Rana chensinensis. In R. chensinensis tadpoles, the expression of prepropalustrin-2CE2 and preprobrevinin-2CE3 increased with the developmental stage. In addition, the expression of the two genes was dramatically upregulated with stimulation by Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and the chemical lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The genomic organization of the two antimicrobial peptide genes was confirmed. Both prepropalustrin-2CE2 and preprobrevinin-2CE3 contain three exons separated by two large introns. Additionally, several presumed transcription factor binding sites were identified in the promoter sequence. Functional analysis of the promoter was performed using a luciferase reporter system, and further confirmed by yeast one-hybrid experiment and EMSA assay. The results indicated that the transcription factors NF-κB and RelA are involved in regulating the expression of prepropalustrin-2CE2 and preprobrevinin-2CE3. As amphibian populations decline globally, this study provides new data demonstrating how frogs defend against pathogens from the environment by regulating AMP expression. For amphibians, antimicrobial peptides are innate immune molecules that resist adverse external environmental stimuli. However, the regulation mechanism of antimicrobial peptide gene expression in frogs is still unclear. OBJECTIVE The two antimicrobial peptides, palustrin-2CE2 and brevinin-2CE3, are produced under external stimulation in Rana chensinensis. Using this model, we analyzed the gene structure and regulatory elements of the two antimicrobial peptide genes and explored the regulatory effects of related transcription factors on the two genes. METHOD Different stimuli such as E. coli, S. aureus, and chemical substance lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were applied to Rana chensinensis tadpoles at different developmental stages, and antimicrobial peptide expression levels were detected by RT-PCR. Bioinformatics analysis and 5'-RACE and genome walking technologies were employed to analyze the genome structure and promoter region of the antimicrobial peptide genes. With dual-luciferase reporter gene assays, yeast one-hybrid experiment and EMSA assays, we assessed the regulatory effect of the endogenous regulators of the cell on the antimicrobial peptide promoter. RESULTS The transcription levels of prepropalustrin-2CE2 and preprobrevinin-2CE3 were significantly upregulated after different stimulations. Genomic structure analysis showed that both genes contained three exons and two introns. Promoter analysis indicated that there are binding sites for regulatory factors of the NF-κB family in the promoter region, and experiments showed that endogenous NF-κB family regulatory factors in frog cells activate the promoters of the antimicrobial peptide genes. Yeast one-hybrid experiment and EMSA assay demonstrated that RelA and NF-κB1 might interact with specific motifs in the prepropalustrin-2CE2 promoter. CONCLUSION In this paper, we found that the gene expression levels of the antimicrobial peptides, palustrin-2CE2 and brevinin-2CE3, in R. chensinensis will increase under environmental stimuli, and we verified that the changes in gene expression levels are affected by the transcription factors RelA and NF-κB1. The yeast one-hybrid experiment and EMSA assay confirmed that RelA and NF-κB1 could directly interact with the frog antimicrobial peptide gene promoter, providing new data for the regulatory mechanism of antimicrobial peptides in response to environmental stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruifen Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian. China
| | - Jing Gao
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian. China
| | - Hui Xie
- School of life science and technology, Xidian University, Xian. China
| | - Yan Sun
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian. China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian. China
| | - Jing Song
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian. China
| | - Nanshu Xiang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian. China
| | - Zhi Li
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian. China
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31
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Chimetto Tonon LA, Rua C, Crnkovic CM, Bernardi DI, Pires Junior OR, Haddad CFB, Pedrosa CSG, Souza LRQ, Rehen SK, de Azevedo GPR, Thompson CC, Thompson FL, Berlinck RGS. Microbiome associated with the tetrodotoxin-bearing anuran Brachycephalus pitanga. Toxicon 2021; 203:139-146. [PMID: 34653444 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The genus Brachycephalus includes small species of aposematic anurans known as microendemic, occurring in the mountains of the Atlantic Forest. Brachycephalus ephippium, B. nodoterga and B. pernix have been reported to contain the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin in skin and viscera. The biological conservation of several Brachycephalus species is currently threatened by climate change, deforestation, and the pandemic caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Despite the well-known importance of amphibians' associated bacteria in the defensive role against pathogens, there is still a poor understanding of amphibian microbiome composition. The present study investigated the composition of B. pitanga microbial community and the presence of TTX in the host and in cultures of bacterial isolates, using a combination of metagenomics, bacterial culture isolation, mass spectrometry and metabolomic analyses. Results of culture-dependent and -independent analyses characterized the microbial communities associated with the skin and viscera of B. pitanga. Mass spectrometry analysis indicated the presence of TTX in host tissues, while bacterial production of TTX was not observed under the experimental conditions used in this investigation. This is the first report confirming the occurrence of TTX in B. pitanga.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciane A Chimetto Tonon
- Instituto de Química de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, CP 780, CEP 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil; Instituto de Biologia, SAGE-COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ, Brazil.
| | - Cintia Rua
- Instituto de Química de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, CP 780, CEP 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil; Instituto de Biologia, SAGE-COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ, Brazil
| | - Camila M Crnkovic
- Instituto de Química de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, CP 780, CEP 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil; Departamento de Tecnologia Bioquímico-Farmacêutica (FBT), Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Darlon I Bernardi
- Instituto de Química de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, CP 780, CEP 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Osmindo R Pires Junior
- Laboratório de Toxinologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Célio F B Haddad
- Departamento de Biodiversidade e Centro de Aquicultura, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | - Stevens K Rehen
- Instituto D'Or de Pesquisa e Ensino (IDOR), RJ, Brazil; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ, Brazil
| | - Gustavo P R de Azevedo
- Instituto de Biologia, SAGE-COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ, Brazil
| | - Cristiane C Thompson
- Instituto de Biologia, SAGE-COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ, Brazil
| | - Fabiano L Thompson
- Instituto de Biologia, SAGE-COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ, Brazil.
| | - Roberto G S Berlinck
- Instituto de Química de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, CP 780, CEP 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
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32
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Tang W, Dai R, Yan W, Zhang W, Bin Y, Xia E, Xia J. Identifying multi-functional bioactive peptide functions using multi-label deep learning. Brief Bioinform 2021; 23:6396787. [PMID: 34651655 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbab414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The bioactive peptide has wide functions, such as lowering blood glucose levels and reducing inflammation. Meanwhile, computational methods such as machine learning are becoming more and more important for peptide functions prediction. Most of the previous studies concentrate on the single-functional bioactive peptides prediction. However, the number of multi-functional peptides is on the increase; therefore, novel computational methods are needed. In this study, we develop a method MLBP (Multi-Label deep learning approach for determining the multi-functionalities of Bioactive Peptides), which can predict multiple functions including anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial simultaneously. MLBP model takes the peptide sequence vector as input to replace the biological and physiochemical features used in other peptides predictors. Using the embedding layer, the dense continuous feature vector is learnt from the sequence vector. Then, we extract convolution features from the feature vector through the convolutional neural network layer and combine with the bidirectional gated recurrent unit layer to improve the prediction performance. The 5-fold cross-validation experiments are conducted on the training dataset, and the results show that Accuracy and Absolute true are 0.695 and 0.685, respectively. On the test dataset, Accuracy and Absolute true of MLBP are 0.709 and 0.697, with 5.0 and 4.7% higher than those of the suboptimum method, respectively. The results indicate MLBP has superior prediction performance on the multi-functional peptides identification. MLBP is available at https://github.com/xialab-ahu/MLBP and http://bioinfo.ahu.edu.cn/MLBP/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wending Tang
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Signal Processing of Ministry of Education, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, 111 Jiulong Road, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China.,State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, Anhui 230036, China
| | - Ruyu Dai
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Signal Processing of Ministry of Education, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, 111 Jiulong Road, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China.,State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, Anhui 230036, China
| | - Wenhui Yan
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Signal Processing of Ministry of Education, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, 111 Jiulong Road, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Signal Processing of Ministry of Education, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, 111 Jiulong Road, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Yannan Bin
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Signal Processing of Ministry of Education, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, 111 Jiulong Road, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China.,State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, Anhui 230036, China.,Anhui Key Laboratory of Modern Biomanufacturing, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Enhua Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, Anhui 230036, China
| | - Junfeng Xia
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Signal Processing of Ministry of Education, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, 111 Jiulong Road, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China.,State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei, Anhui 230036, China
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Modification Strategy of D-leucine Residue Addition on a Novel Peptide from Odorrana schmackeri, with Enhanced Bioactivity and In Vivo Efficacy. Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13090611. [PMID: 34564615 PMCID: PMC8473181 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13090611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Brevinins are a well-characterised, frog-skin-derived, antimicrobial peptide (AMP) family, but their applications are limited by high cytotoxicity. In this study, a wild-type des-Leu2 brevinin peptide, named brevinin-1OS (B1OS), was identified from Odorrana schmackeri. To explore the significant role of the leucine residue at the second position, two variants, B1OS-L and B1OS-D-L, were designed by adding L-leucine and D-leucine residues at this site, respectively. The antibacterial and anticancer activities of B1OS-L and B1OS-D-L were around ten times stronger than the parent peptide. The activity of B1OS against the growth of Gram-positive bacteria was markedly enhanced after modification. Moreover, the leucine-modified products exerted in vivo therapeutic potential in an methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-infected waxworm model. Notably, the single substitution of D-leucine significantly increased the killing speed on lung cancer cells, where no viable H838 cells survived after 2 h of treatment with B1OS-D-L at 10 μM with low cytotoxicity on normal cells. Overall, our study suggested that the conserved leucine residue at the second position from the N-terminus is vital for optimising the dual antibacterial and anticancer activities of B1OS and proposed B1OS-D-L as an appealing therapeutic candidate for development.
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34
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Li M, Du C, Wang J, Gao Z, Yang X, Chen D, Tong J, Ren L. Morphology and mechanical performance between the skin surface of
Rana dybowskii
and
Bufo gargarizans. BIOSURFACE AND BIOTRIBOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1049/bsb2.12018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mo Li
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Jilin University Changchun China
- The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering Ministry of Education Jilin University Changchun China
| | - Chunyu Du
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Jilin University Changchun China
- The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering Ministry of Education Jilin University Changchun China
| | - Jili Wang
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Jilin University Changchun China
| | - Zibo Gao
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Jilin University Changchun China
- The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering Ministry of Education Jilin University Changchun China
| | - Xiao Yang
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Jilin University Changchun China
- The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering Ministry of Education Jilin University Changchun China
| | - Donghui Chen
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Jilin University Changchun China
- The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering Ministry of Education Jilin University Changchun China
| | - Jin Tong
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Jilin University Changchun China
- The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering Ministry of Education Jilin University Changchun China
| | - Lili Ren
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Jilin University Changchun China
- The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering Ministry of Education Jilin University Changchun China
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35
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Wang S, Sun Y, Xu S, Liu H. Novel Peptide-Polymer Conjugate with pH-Responsive Targeting/Disrupting Effects on Biomembranes. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:8840-8846. [PMID: 34264682 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c01238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Conjugating polymers to peptides has become a new strategy of designing functional antitumor agents for their improved stability and enhanced activity. In this paper, a novel peptide-polymer conjugate PEPc-PMAA with pH responsiveness was designed and synthesized. The isoelectric point of PEPc was studied by dynamic light scattering for the targeting effect. Also, the transmittances of PMAA at different pHs were measured using an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer for determining the triggering pH of the disrupting effect. The results showed that PEPc-PMAA was hydrophilic under neutral conditions and changed to be amphiphilic composed of positively charged PEPc and hydrophobic PMAA under acidic conditions. The interactions between PEPc-PMAA and mimic cells were investigated by the measurements of membrane fluidity and cargo leakage from 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phospho-(1-rac-glycerol) (DPPG) liposomes. It proved that PEPc-PMAA caused a distinct membrane disturbance of the DPPG liposome at pH 5.5, resulting in more serious cargo leakage. Because of its targeting and disrupting effects on negatively charged biomembranes under acidic conditions, PEPc-PMAA showed its good potential as an antitumor agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sijia Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, PR China
| | - Yue Sun
- College of Pharmacy, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, PR China
| | - Shouhong Xu
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, PR China
| | - Honglai Liu
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, PR China
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36
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Spinelli R, Rietmann Á, Sanchis I, Siano ÁS. Natural multi-target modulators of pathological pathways in Alzheimer's disease isolated from the Rhinella arenarum skin. Nat Prod Res 2021; 36:3193-3197. [PMID: 34311633 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2021.1953022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The skin of anuran amphibians is a rich source of compounds with great medicinal potential. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex disease associated with numerous pathological pathways, making their simultaneous modulation necessary. Nowadays the development of anti-AD drugs is focused on a Multi-Target Directed Ligands strategy. Herein we report the bioactivity of the skin extracts of the toad Rhinella arenarum obtained by an invasive and non-invasive methods, against five AD pathological targets (AChE, BChE, MAO-B, antioxidant and chelating activities). The extract derived from the non-invasive technique showed the highest biological activity, being capable of acting on all or almost all the pathological targets of AD, while also avoiding harm to the animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roque Spinelli
- Laboratorio de Péptidos Bioactivos, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
| | - Álvaro Rietmann
- Laboratorio de Péptidos Bioactivos, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Ivan Sanchis
- Laboratorio de Péptidos Bioactivos, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
| | - Álvaro Sebastián Siano
- Laboratorio de Péptidos Bioactivos, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
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37
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Samgina TY, Vasileva ID, Kovalev SV, Trebse P, Torkar G, Surin AK, Zubarev RA, Lebedev AT. Differentiation of Central Slovenian and Moscow populations of Rana temporaria frogs using peptide biomarkers of temporins family. Anal Bioanal Chem 2021; 413:5333-5347. [PMID: 34235566 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-021-03506-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Skin secretion represents the only means of defense for the majority of frog species. That phenomenon is based on the fact that the main components of the secretion are peptides demonstrating greatly varying types of bioactivity. They fulfill regulatory functions, fight microorganisms and may be even helpful against predators. These peptides are considered to be rather promising pharmaceuticals of future generation as according to the present knowledge microorganisms are unlikely to develop resistance to them. Mass spectrometry sequencing of these peptides is the most efficient first step of their study providing reliably their primary structures, i.e., amino acids sequence and S-S bond motif. Besides discovering new bioactive peptides, mass spectrometry appears to be an efficient tool of taxonomy studies, allowing for distinguishing not only between closely related species, but also between populations of the same species. Application of several tandem mass spectrometry tools (CID, HCD, ETD, EThcD) available with Orbitrap mass analyzer allowed us to obtain full sequence of about 60 peptides in the secretion of Slovenian population of brown ranid frog Rana temporaria. The problem of sequence inside C-terminal cycle formed by two Cys and differentiation of isomeric Leu and Ile residues was done in top-down mode without any derivatization steps. Besides general biomarkers of Rana temporaria species, Central Slovenian population of Rana temporaria demonstrates six novel temporins and one brevinin 1, which may be treated as biomarkers of that population.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Yu Samgina
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991, Moscow, Russia.
| | - I D Vasileva
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991, Moscow, Russia
| | - S V Kovalev
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991, Moscow, Russia
| | - P Trebse
- University of Ljubljana Faculty of Health Sciences, Zdravstvena pot 5, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - G Torkar
- Department for Biology, Chemistry and Home Economics, University of Ljubljana Faculty of Education, Kardeljeva ploščad 16, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - A K Surin
- Pushchino Branch, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Nauki 6, Pushchino, Moscow, 142290, Russia
| | - R A Zubarev
- Department of Medicinal Biochemistry and Biophysics, Division of Molecular Biometry, Karolinska Institutet, 17177, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Pharmacological & Technological Chemistry, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, 119146, Russia
| | - A T Lebedev
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991, Moscow, Russia.
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38
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Ujszegi J, Ludányi K, Móricz ÁM, Krüzselyi D, Drahos L, Drexler T, Németh MZ, Vörös J, Garner TWJ, Hettyey A. Exposure to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis affects chemical defences in two anuran amphibians, Rana dalmatina and Bufo bufo. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:135. [PMID: 34217227 PMCID: PMC8254444 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01867-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is the causative agent of chytridiomycosis, one of the major causes of worldwide amphibian biodiversity loss. Many amphibians exhibit skin-based chemical defences, which may play an important role against invading pathogens, but whether the synthesis of these chemical compounds is enhanced or suppressed in the presence of pathogens is largely unknown. Here we investigated direct and indirect effects of larval exposure to the globally distributed and highly virulent Bd-GPL strain on skin secreted chemical defences and life history traits during early ontogeny of agile frogs (Rana dalmatina) and common toads (Bufo bufo). Results Exposure to Bd during the larval stage did not result in enhanced synthesis of the antimicrobial peptide Brevinin-1 Da in R. dalmatina tadpoles or in increased production of bufadienolides in B. bufo tadpoles. However, exposure to Bd during the larval stage had a carry-over effect reaching beyond metamorphosis: both R. dalmatina and B. bufo froglets contained smaller quantities of defensive chemicals than their Bd-naïve conspecifics in the control treatment. Prevalence of Bd and infection intensities were very low in both larvae and metamorphs of R. dalmatina, while in B. bufo we observed high Bd prevalence and infection intensities, especially in metamorphs. At the same time, we did not find a significant effect of Bd-exposure on body mass or development rate in larvae or metamorphs in either species. Conclusions The lack of detrimental effect of Bd-exposure on life history traits, even parallel with high infection intensities in the case of B. bufo individuals, is surprising and suggests high tolerance of local populations of these two species against Bd. However, the lowered quantity of defensive chemicals may compromise antimicrobial and antipredatory defences of froglets, which may ultimately contribute to population declines also in the absence of conspicuous mass-mortality events.
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Affiliation(s)
- János Ujszegi
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Herman Ottó út 15, Budapest, 1022, Hungary.
| | - Krisztina Ludányi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Semmelweis University, Hőgyes Endre utca 7, Budapest, 1092, Hungary
| | - Ágnes M Móricz
- Department of Pathophysiology, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Herman Ottó út 15, Budapest, 1022, Hungary
| | - Dániel Krüzselyi
- Department of Pathophysiology, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Herman Ottó út 15, Budapest, 1022, Hungary
| | - László Drahos
- MS Proteomics Research Group, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Tamás Drexler
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Herman Ottó út 15, Budapest, 1022, Hungary.,Department of Ecology, Institute for Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Rottenbiller utca 50, Budapest, 1077, Hungary
| | - Márk Z Németh
- Department of Plant Pathology, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Herman Ottó út 15, Budapest, 1022, Hungary
| | - Judit Vörös
- Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Baross street 13, Budapest, 1088, Hungary
| | - Trenton W J Garner
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK.,Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
| | - Attila Hettyey
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Herman Ottó út 15, Budapest, 1022, Hungary.,Department of Ecology, Institute for Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Rottenbiller utca 50, Budapest, 1077, Hungary
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39
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Synergistic Effect of Frog Skin Antimicrobial Peptides in Combination with Antibiotics Against Multi host Gram-Negative Pathogens. Int J Pept Res Ther 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-021-10189-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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40
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Fu R, Rooney MT, Zhang R, Cotten ML. Coordination of Redox Ions within a Membrane-Binding Peptide: A Tale of Aromatic Rings. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:4392-4399. [PMID: 33939920 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c00636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The amino-terminal-copper-and-nickel-binding (ATCUN) motif, a tripeptide sequence ending with a histidine, confers important functions to proteins and peptides. Few high-resolution studies have been performed on the ATCUN motifs of membrane-associated proteins and peptides, limiting our understanding of how they stabilize Cu2+/Ni2+ in membranes. Here, we leverage solid-state NMR to investigate metal-binding to piscidin-1 (P1), a host-defense peptide featuring F1F2H3 as its ATCUN motif. Bound to redox ions, P1 chemically and physically damages pathogenic cell membranes. We design 13C/15N correlation experiments to detect and assign the deprotonated nitrogens produced and/or shifted by Ni2+-binding. Occupying multiple chemical states in P1-apo, H3 and the neighboring H4 respond to metalation by populating only the τ-tautomer. H3, as a proximal histidine, directly coordinates the metal, compared to the distal H4. Density functional theory calculations reflect this noncanonical arrangement and point toward cation-π interactions between the F1/F2/H4 aromatic rings and metal. These structural findings, which are relevant to other ATCUN-containing membrane peptides, could help design new therapeutics and materials for use in the areas of drug-resistant bacteria, neurological disorders, and biomedical imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riqiang Fu
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, 1800 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32310, United States
| | - Mary T Rooney
- Department of Applied Science, William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185, United States
| | - Rongfu Zhang
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, 1800 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32310, United States
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, United States
| | - Myriam L Cotten
- Department of Applied Science, William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185, United States
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41
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Cuesta SA, Reinoso C, Morales F, Pilaquinga F, Morán-Marcillo G, Proaño-Bolaños C, Blasco-Zúñiga A, Rivera M, Meneses L. Novel antimicrobial cruzioseptin peptides extracted from the splendid leaf frog, Cruziohyla calcarifer. Amino Acids 2021; 53:853-868. [PMID: 33942149 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-021-02986-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) constitute part of a broad range of bioactive compounds present on diverse organisms, including frogs. Peptides, produced in the granular glands of amphibian skin, constitute a component of their innate immune response, providing protection against pathogenic microorganisms. In this work, two novel cruzioseptins peptides, cruzioseptin-16 and -17, extracted from the splendid leaf frog Cruziohyla calcarifer are presented. These peptides were identified using molecular cloning and tandem mass spectrometry. Later, peptides were synthetized using solid-phase peptide synthesis, and their minimal inhibitory concentration and haemolytic activity were tested. Furthermore, these two cruzioseptins plus three previously reported (CZS-1, CZS-2, CZS-3) were computationally characterized. Results show that cruzioseptins are 21-23 residues long alpha helical cationic peptides, with antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans and low haemolytic effect. Docking results agree with the principal action mechanism of cationic AMPs that goes through cell membrane disruption due to electrostatic interactions between cationic residues in the cruzioseptins and negative phosphate groups in the pathogen cell membrane. An action mechanism through enzymes inhibition was also tried, but no conclusive results about this mechanism were obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian A Cuesta
- Laboratorio de Química Computacional, Escuela de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Av. 12 de octubre 1076 Apartado: 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Camila Reinoso
- Laboratorio de Química Computacional, Escuela de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Av. 12 de octubre 1076 Apartado: 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Felipe Morales
- Laboratorio de Química Computacional, Escuela de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Av. 12 de octubre 1076 Apartado: 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Fernanda Pilaquinga
- Laboratorio de Química Computacional, Escuela de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Av. 12 de octubre 1076 Apartado: 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Giovanna Morán-Marcillo
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Km 7 ½ vía Muyuna, 150150, Tena, Ecuador
| | - Carolina Proaño-Bolaños
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Km 7 ½ vía Muyuna, 150150, Tena, Ecuador
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, BT9 7BL, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Ailín Blasco-Zúñiga
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Citogenética y Biomoléculas de Anfibios (LICBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Investigación para la Salud en América Latina-CISeAL, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Av. 12 de octubre 1076 Apartado: 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador
- Dirección Nacional de Biodiversidad, Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador, Madrid 1159 y Andalucía, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Miryan Rivera
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Citogenética y Biomoléculas de Anfibios (LICBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Centro de Investigación para la Salud en América Latina-CISeAL, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Av. 12 de octubre 1076 Apartado: 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Lorena Meneses
- Laboratorio de Química Computacional, Escuela de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Av. 12 de octubre 1076 Apartado: 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador.
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42
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Samgina TY, Tolpina MD, Surin AK, Kovalev SV, Bosch RA, Alonso IP, Garcia FA, Gonzalez Lopez LJ, Lebedev AT. Manual mass spectrometry de novo sequencing of the anionic host defense peptides of the Cuban Treefrog Osteopilus septentrionalis. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2021; 35:e9061. [PMID: 33527491 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.9061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Host defense peptides accumulated in the skin glands of the animals constitute the basis of the adaptive and immune system of amphibians. The peptidome of the Cuban frog Osteopilus septentrionalis was established using tandem mass spectrometry as the best analytical tool to elucidate the sequence of these peptides. METHODS Manual interpretation of complementary collision-induced dissociation (CID), higher energy collision-induced dissociation (HCD), and electron transfer dissociation (ETD) tandem mass spectra recorded with an Orbitrap Elite mass spectrometer in liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) mode was used to sequence the peptide components of the frog skin secretion, obtained by mild electrostimulation. RESULTS Although the vast majority of amphibian peptides discovered so far are cationic, surprisingly only anionic peptides were identified in the skin secretion of the Cuban frog Osteopilus septentrionalis. Mass spectrometry allowed the sequences to be established of 16 representatives of new peptide families: septenins 1 and septenins 2. The highest sequence coverage when dealing with these anionic peptides was obtained with CID normalized collision energy 35 and HCD normalized collision energy 28. CONCLUSIONS Mirror-symmetrical peptides are sequenced using N-terminal acetylation. Acetylated Ser is reliably distinguished from isomeric Glu by the loss of ketene from b-ions containing the corresponding residue. Calculations of the physicochemical and structural properties of the discovered anionic septenins 1 and 2 allowed the mechanism of their interaction with microbe cells to be postulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Y Samgina
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Maria D Tolpina
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Alexey K Surin
- Pushchino Branch, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Nauki 6, Pushchino, Moscow, 142290, Russia
| | - Sergey V Kovalev
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Roberto Alonso Bosch
- Museum of Natural History "Felipe Poey", Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Havana, Cuba
| | - Isel Pascual Alonso
- Center for Protein Studies, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Havana, Cuba
| | | | - Luis Javier Gonzalez Lopez
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Department of Proteomics, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, PO Box 6162, Havana, Cuba
| | - Albert T Lebedev
- Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1/3, Moscow, 119991, Russia
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43
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Antimicrobial Peptide Brevinin-1RL1 from Frog Skin Secretion Induces Apoptosis and Necrosis of Tumor Cells. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26072059. [PMID: 33916789 PMCID: PMC8038347 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26072059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer has always been one of the most common malignant diseases in the world. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find potent agents with selective antitumor activity against cancer cells. It has been reported that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can selectively target tumor cells. In this study, we focused on the anti-tumor activity and mechanism of Brevivin-1RL1, a cationic α-helical AMP isolated from frog Rana limnocharis skin secretions. We found that Brevivin-1RL1 preferentially inhibits tumor cells rather than non-tumor cells with slight hemolytic activity. Cell viability assay demonstrated the intermolecular disulfide bridge contributes to the inhibitory activity of the peptide as the antitumor activity was abolished when the disulfide bridge reduced. Further mechanism studies revealed that both necrosis and apoptosis are involved in Brevivin-1RL1 mediated tumor cells death. Moreover, Brevivin-1RL1 induced extrinsic and mitochondria intrinsic apoptosis is caspases dependent, as the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-FMK rescued Brevinin-1RL1 induced tumor cell proliferative inhibition. Immunohistology staining showed Brevivin-1RL1 mainly aggregated on the surface of the tumor cells. These results together suggested that Brevivin-1RL1 preferentially converges on the cancer cells to trigger necrosis and caspase-dependent apoptosis and Brevivin-1RL1 could be considered as a pharmacological candidate for further development as anti-cancer agent.
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44
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Mariano DO, Sciani JM, Antoniazzi MM, Jared C, Conceição K, Pimenta DC. Quantity - but not diversity - of secreted peptides and proteins increases with age in the tree frog Pithecopus nordestinus. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2021; 27:e20200105. [PMID: 33868394 PMCID: PMC8020714 DOI: 10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2020-0105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Amphibians inhabit the terrestrial environment, a conquest achieved after several evolutionary steps, which were still insufficient to make them completely independent of the aquatic environment. These processes gave rise to many morphological and physiological changes, making their skin (and cutaneous secretion) rich in bioactive molecules. Among the tree frogs, the secretion is composed mainly of peptides; but alkaloids, proteins and steroids can also be found depending on the species. The most known class of biologically active molecules is the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that act against bacteria, fungi and protozoans. Although these molecules are well-studied among the hylids, AMPs ontogeny remains unknown. Therefore, we performed peptidomic and proteomic analyses of Pithecopus nordestinus (formerly Phyllomedusa nordestina) in order to evaluate the peptide content in post-metamorphosed juveniles and adult individuals. Methods: Cutaneous secretion of both life stages of individuals was obtained and analyzed by LC-MS/MS after reduction and alkylation of disulfide bonds or reduction, alkylation and hydrolysis by trypsin. Results: Differences in the TIC profile of juveniles and adults in both treatments were observed. Moreover, the proteomic data revealed known proteins and peptides, with slight differences in the composition, according to the life stage and the treatment. AMPs were identified, and bradykinin-potentiating peptides were observed in trypsin-treated samples, which suggests a protein source of such peptide (cryptide). Conclusion: In general, skin secretion contents were similar between juveniles and adults, varying in quantity, indicating that the different stages of life are reflected in the number of molecules and not on their diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas O Mariano
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Juliana M Sciani
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,São Francisco University, Bragança Paulista, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Carlos Jared
- São Francisco University, Bragança Paulista, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Katia Conceição
- Laboratory of Peptide Biochemistry, Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | - Daniel C Pimenta
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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45
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Li M, Gao Z, Dai T, Chen D, Tong J, Guo L, Wang C. Comparative research on morphology and mechanical property of integument of Rana dybowskii, Xenopus laevis and Ambystoma mexicanum. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2021; 117:104382. [PMID: 33607570 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2021.104382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Amphibians' integument is a multifunctional organ offering protection from the exterior surroundings and facilitating the physiological change of gas, water and salts with the environment, which is a natural biomaterial with multifunctional features. Interspecies comparison of biomechanical characters and microstructure possibly related to them were performed on the integument of three species of amphibians, two anurans(Rana dybowskii and Xenopus laevis) and one urodeles(Ambystoma mexicanum) using tensile testing and morphological characterization. It was found that the integument of Rana dybowskii and Xenopus laevis was covered by polygonal epidermal cells, while the trunk surface of Ambystoma mexicanum presented irregular microstructure with the lack of keratinization. The integument of Rana dybowskii and Xenopus laevis exhibited good performance on stiffness and strength, which showed quite high mean elastic modulus, 931MPa and 1048MPa,respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mo Li
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China; The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China
| | - Zibo Gao
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China; The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China
| | - Taidong Dai
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China; The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China
| | - Donghui Chen
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China; The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China
| | - Jin Tong
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China; The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China
| | - Li Guo
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China; The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China
| | - Chaofei Wang
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China; The Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China.
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Musale V, Moffett RC, Conlon JM, Flatt PR, Abdel-Wahab YH. Beneficial actions of the [A14K] analog of the frog skin peptide PGLa-AM1 in mice with obesity and degenerative diabetes: A mechanistic study. Peptides 2021; 136:170472. [PMID: 33338546 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2020.170472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The antidiabetic actions of [A14K]PGLa-AM1, an analog of peptide glycine-leucine-amide-AM1 isolated from skin secretions of the octoploid frog Xenopus amieti, were investigated in genetically diabetic-obese db/db mice. Twice daily administration of [A14K]PGLa-AM1 (75 nmol/kg body weight) for 28 days significantly (P < 0.05) decreased circulating blood glucose and HbA1c and increased plasma insulin concentrations leading to improvements in glucose tolerance. The elevated levels of triglycerides, LDL and cholesterol associated with the db/db phenotype were significantly reduced by peptide administration. Elevated plasma alanine transaminase, aspartic acid transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase activities and creatinine concentrations were also significantly decreased. Peptide treatment increased pancreatic insulin content and improved the responses of isolated islets to established insulin secretagogues. No significant changes in islet β-cell and α-cell areas were observed in [A14K]PGLa-AM1 treated mice but the loss of large and medium-size islets was prevented. Peptide administration resulted in a significant (P < 0.01) increase in islet expression of the gene encoding Pdx-1, a major transcription factor in islet cells determining β-cell survival and function, resulting in increased expression of genes involved with insulin secretion (Abcc8, Kcnj11, Slc2a2, Cacn1c) together with the genes encoding the incretin receptors Glp1r and Gipr. In addition, the elevated expression of insulin signalling genes (Slc2a4, Insr, Irs1, Akt1, Pik3ca, Ppm1b) in skeletal muscle associated with the db/db phenotype was downregulated by peptide treatment These data suggest that the anti-diabetic properties of [A14K]PGLa-AM1 are mediated by molecular changes that enhance both the secretion and action of insulin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vishal Musale
- Diabetes Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, BT52 1SA, UK
| | - R Charlotte Moffett
- Diabetes Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, BT52 1SA, UK
| | - J Michael Conlon
- Diabetes Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, BT52 1SA, UK.
| | - Peter R Flatt
- Diabetes Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, BT52 1SA, UK
| | - Yasser H Abdel-Wahab
- Diabetes Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, BT52 1SA, UK
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Park SC, Kim H, Kim JY, Kim H, Cheong GW, Lee JR, Jang MK. Improved Cell Selectivity of Pseudin-2 via Substitution in the Leucine-Zipper Motif: In Vitro and In Vivo Antifungal Activity. Antibiotics (Basel) 2020; 9:antibiotics9120921. [PMID: 33352972 PMCID: PMC7766124 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics9120921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Several antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been discovered, developed, and purified from natural sources and peptide engineering; however, the clinical applications of these AMPs are limited owing to their lack of abundance and side effects related to cytotoxicity, immunogenicity, and hemolytic activity. Accordingly, to improve cell selectivity for pseudin-2, an AMP from Pseudis paradoxa skin, in mammalian cells and pathogenic fungi, the sequence of pseudin-2 was modified by alanine or lysine at each position of two amino acids within the leucine-zipper motif. Alanine-substituted variants were highly selective toward fungi over HaCaT and erythrocytes and maintained their antifungal activities and mode of action (membranolysis). However, the antifungal activities of lysine-substituted peptides were reduced, and the compound could penetrate into fungal cells, followed by induction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and cell death. In vivo antifungal assays of analogous peptide showed excellent antifungal efficiency in a Candida tropicalis skin infection mouse model. Our results demonstrated the usefulness of selective amino acid substitution in the repeated sequence of the leucine-zipper motif for the design of AMPs with potent antimicrobial activities and low toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seong-Cheol Park
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Korea; (S.-C.P.); (H.K.); (J.-Y.K.); (H.K.)
| | - Heabin Kim
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Korea; (S.-C.P.); (H.K.); (J.-Y.K.); (H.K.)
| | - Jin-Young Kim
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Korea; (S.-C.P.); (H.K.); (J.-Y.K.); (H.K.)
| | - Hyeonseok Kim
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Korea; (S.-C.P.); (H.K.); (J.-Y.K.); (H.K.)
| | - Gang-Won Cheong
- Division of Applied Life Sciences and Research Institute of Natural Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea;
| | - Jung Ro Lee
- National Institute of Ecology, 1210 Geumgang-ro, Maseo-myeon, Seocheon-gun 33657, Korea
- Correspondence: (J.R.L.); (M.-K.J.)
| | - Mi-Kyeong Jang
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Korea; (S.-C.P.); (H.K.); (J.-Y.K.); (H.K.)
- Correspondence: (J.R.L.); (M.-K.J.)
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Al-Azzam S, Ding Y, Liu J, Pandya P, Ting JP, Afshar S. Peptides to combat viral infectious diseases. Peptides 2020; 134:170402. [PMID: 32889022 PMCID: PMC7462603 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2020.170402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Viral infectious diseases have resulted in millions of deaths throughout history and have created a significant public healthcare burden. Tremendous efforts have been placed by the scientific communities, health officials and government organizations to detect, treat, and prevent viral infection. However, the complicated life cycle and rapid genetic mutations of viruses demand continuous development of novel medicines with high efficacy and safety profiles. Peptides provide a promising outlook as a tool to combat the spread and re-emergence of viral infection. This article provides an overview of five viral infectious diseases with high global prevalence: influenza, chronic hepatitis B, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and coronavirus disease 2019. The current and potential peptide-based therapies, vaccines, and diagnostics for each disease are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shams Al-Azzam
- Professional Scientific Services, Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories, Lancaster, PA, 17605, USA
| | - Yun Ding
- Protein Engineering, Lilly Biotechnology Center, Eli Lilly and Company, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Jinsha Liu
- Protein Engineering, Lilly Biotechnology Center, Eli Lilly and Company, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Priyanka Pandya
- Protein Engineering, Lilly Biotechnology Center, Eli Lilly and Company, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Joey Paolo Ting
- Protein Engineering, Lilly Biotechnology Center, Eli Lilly and Company, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Sepideh Afshar
- Protein Engineering, Lilly Biotechnology Center, Eli Lilly and Company, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA.
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Barran G, Kolodziejek J, Coquet L, Leprince J, Jouenne T, Nowotny N, Conlon JM, Mechkarska M. Peptidomic Analysis of Skin Secretions of the Caribbean Frogs Leptodactylus insularum and Leptodactylus nesiotus (Leptodactylidae) Identifies an Ocellatin with Broad Spectrum Antimicrobial Activity. Antibiotics (Basel) 2020; 9:antibiotics9100718. [PMID: 33092132 PMCID: PMC7588904 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics9100718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Ocellatins are peptides produced in the skins of frogs belonging to the genus Leptodactylus that generally display weak antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria only. Peptidomic analysis of norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions from Leptodactylus insularum Barbour 1906 and Leptodactylus nesiotus Heyer 1994, collected in the Icacos Peninsula, Trinidad, led to the purification and structural characterization of five ocellatin-related peptides from L. insularum (ocellatin-1I together with its (1–16) fragment, ocellatin-2I and its (1–16) fragment, and ocellatin-3I) and four ocellatins from L. nesiotus (ocellatin-1N, -2N, -3N, and -4N). While ocellatins-1I, -2I, and -1N showed a typically low antimicrobial potency against Gram-negative bacteria, ocellatin-3N (GIFDVLKNLAKGVITSLAS.NH2) was active against an antibiotic-resistant strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae and reference strains of Escherichia coli, K. pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella typhimurium (minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) in the range 31.25–62.5 μM), and was the only peptide active against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 31.25 μM) and Enterococcus faecium (MIC = 62.5 μM). The therapeutic potential of ocellatin-3N is limited by its moderate hemolytic activity (LC50 = 98 μM) against mouse erythrocytes. The peptide represents a template for the design of long-acting, non-toxic, and broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents for targeting multidrug-resistant pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gervonne Barran
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of The West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago;
| | - Jolanta Kolodziejek
- Viral Zoonoses, Emerging and Vector-Borne Infections Group, Department of Pathobiology, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria; (J.K.); (N.N.)
| | - Laurent Coquet
- CNRS UMR 6270, PISSARO, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine (IRIB), Normandy University, 76000 Rouen, France; (L.C.); (T.J.)
| | - Jérôme Leprince
- Inserm U1239, PRIMACEN, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine (IRIB), Normandy University, 76000 Rouen, France;
| | - Thierry Jouenne
- CNRS UMR 6270, PISSARO, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine (IRIB), Normandy University, 76000 Rouen, France; (L.C.); (T.J.)
| | - Norbert Nowotny
- Viral Zoonoses, Emerging and Vector-Borne Infections Group, Department of Pathobiology, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria; (J.K.); (N.N.)
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai Helathcare City, P.O. Box 505055, Dubai, UAE
| | - J. Michael Conlon
- Diabetes Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine BT52 1SA, Northern Ireland, UK
- Correspondence: (J.M.C.); (M.M.)
| | - Milena Mechkarska
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of The West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago;
- Correspondence: (J.M.C.); (M.M.)
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50
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Antinociceptive Activity of the Skin Secretion of Phyllomedusa rohdei (Amphibia, Anura). Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:toxins12090589. [PMID: 32933013 PMCID: PMC7551137 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12090589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pain is a distressful experience that can have a major impact on an individual’s quality of life. The need for new and better analgesics has been further intensified in light of the current opioid epidemic. Substances obtained from amphibians have been shown to contain bioactive peptides that exert analgesic effects. The genus Phyllomedusa represents an important source of peptides and bioactive components. The aim of this study was to investigate the antinociceptive effects of the skin secretion of Phyllomedusa rohdei in rodent models of pain. The crude skin extract of P. rohdei was tested in different pain models: acetic acid-induced writhing test (mice), formalin test (rats), Von Frey electronic test for hypernociception induced by PGE2 (rats), and hot plate test (mice). Motor-impairing effects were tested using the rota-rod test. The results showed that the skin extract of P. rohdei exerted antinociceptive effects in all pain models tested. Particularly, the highest dose tested of the skin extract decreased acetic acid-induced writhing by 93%, completely blocked formalin-induced nociception both during the acute and inflammatory phases of the test, PGE2-induced hypernociception by 73% and increased latency to paw withdrawal in the hot plate test by 300%. The effects observed in the hot plate test were reversed by pretreatment with selective µ and κ, but not δ, opioid receptor antagonists, indicating a mechanism of action dependent on µ and κ opioid receptors. The results were not influenced by sedative effects. Further studies remain necessary to reveal the specific compounds involved in the antinociceptive effects of P. rohdei skin extract as a new therapeutic tool in pain management.
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