The fate of the prosegment in the acute-phase and programmed synthesis of sapecin, an antibacterial peptide of the flesh fly (Sarcophaga peregrina)

Insight into the antimicrobial activities of coprisin isolated from the dung beetle, Copris tripartitus, revealed by structure-activity relationships

The novel 43-residue, insect defensin-like peptide coprisin, isolated from the dung beetle, Copris tripartitus, is a potent antibiotic with bacterial cell selectivity, exhibiting antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria without exerting hemolytic activity against human erythrocytes. Tests against Staphylococcus aureus using fluorescent dye leakage and depolarization measurements showed that coprisin targets the bacterial cell membrane. To understand structure-activity relationships, we determined the three-dimensional structure of coprisin in aqueous solution by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which showed that coprisin has an amphipathic α-helical structure from Ala(19) to Arg(28), and β-sheets from Gly(31) to Gln(35) and Val(38) to Arg(42). Coprisin has electropositive regions formed by Arg(28), Lys(29), Lys(30), and Arg(42) and ITC results proved that coprisin and LPS have electrostatically driven interactions. Using measurements of nitric oxide release and inflammatory cytokine production, we provide the first verification of the anti-inflammatory activity and associated mechanism of an insect defensin, demonstrating that the anti-inflammatory actions of the defensin-like peptide, coprisin, are initiated by suppressing the binding of LPS to toll-like receptor 4, and subsequently inhibiting the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and nuclear translocation of NF-kB. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that an amphipathic helix and an electropositive surface in coprisin may play important roles in its effective interaction with bacterial cell membranes and, ultimately, in its high antibacterial activity and potent anti-inflammatory activity. In addition to elucidating the antimicrobial action of coprisin, this work may provide insight into the mechanism of action of insect defense systems.

Molecules participating in insect immunity of Sarcophaga peregrina

Pricking the body wall of Sarcophaga peregrina (flesh fly) larvae with a needle activated the immune system of this insect and induced various immune molecules, including antibacterial proteins, in the hemolymph. In this review, I summarize and discuss the functions of these immune molecules, with particular emphasis on the dual roles of some of these molecules in defense and development.

Biosynthesis of defensins and other antimicrobial peptides

Defensins are small (about 30 amino acid residues) cationic antimicrobial peptides with a conserved framework of six disulphide-linked cysteines. Human defensin HNP-1 and the closely related HNP-3 are amphiphilic dimers that act in part by permeabilizing cell membranes. Defensin mRNAs, abundant in neutrophilic promyelocytes, certain non-human macrophages and Paneth cells, encode 94-100 amino acid prepropeptides. PreproHNP-1 is post-translationally processed to inactive proHNP-1 then to mature HNP-1 stored in granules. Bactenecin Bac-5 and perhaps other related neutrophil peptides are also synthesized as prepropeptides but are stored in granules as inactive propeptides. Their conserved cathelin-like propiece inhibits the cysteine protease, cathepsin L, and is removed only during granule release. Charge neutralization of mature peptide by the propiece is seen in both probactenecins and prodefensins. In contrast the propiece of cecropins is very short and proceropins are microbicidal. The pathways that convert myeloid preprodefensins to defensins are specific to myeloid cells but the signal for targeting to granules also functions in non-myeloid granulated cells. The truncation of the anionic propiece by deletion mutagenesis dramatically reduces defensin synthesis, suggesting that the propiece may assist in peptide stabilization, folding or subcellular transport. Despite some similarities in the mechanism of action of the various families of antimicrobial peptides, their precursors differ greatly, presumably owing to differing functions of the propieces.

Molecular cloning of cDNA for sapecin B, an antibacterial protein of Sarcophaga, and its detection in larval brain

A cDNA clone for sapecin B, an antibacterial protein of Sarcophaga, was isolated. This cDNA encoded a precursor protein of sapecin B consisting of a signal sequence (24 residues), prosegment (30 residues) and mature sapecin B (34 residues). Sapecin B was synthesized almost exclusively in the fat body when the larval body wall was injured, but the brain of naive larvae was also demonstrated to contain a significant amount of sapecin B. These findings suggested that sapecin B is a bifunctional protein.

Inhibition of the Ca(2+)-activated K(+)-channel by sapecin B, an insect antibacterial protein

Sapecin is an antibacterial protein of the flesh fly and sapecin B is its homologue structurally similar to charybdotoxin of scorpion venom, which is known to be a K+ channel inhibitor. We found that, like charybdotoxin, sapecin B inhibits part of the voltage pulse-induced K+ currents of rat cerebellar Purkinje cells. We suggest that this effect is due to inhibition of the Ca(+)-activated K+ channel. Probably, sapecin B is a naturally occurring K+ channel inhibitor as well as an antibacterial protein.