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Henao Arias DC, Toro LJ, Téllez Ramirez GA, Osorio-Méndez JF, Rodríguez-Carlos A, Valle J, Marín-Luevano SP, Rivas-Santiago B, Andreu D, Castaño Osorio JC. Novel antimicrobial cecropins derived from O. curvicornis and D. satanas dung beetles. Peptides 2021; 145:170626. [PMID: 34391826 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2021.170626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is an increasing global problem and therapeutic alternatives to traditional antibiotics are needed. Antimicrobial and host defense peptides represent an attractive source for new therapeutic strategies, given their wide range of activities including antimicrobial, antitumoral and immunomodulatory. Insects produce several families of these peptides, including cecropins. Herein, we characterized the sequence, structure, and biological activity of three cecropins called satanin 1, 2, and curvicin, found in the transcriptome of two dung beetle species Dichotomius satanas and Onthophagus curvicornis. Sequence and circular dichroism analyses show that they have typical features of the cecropin family: short length (38-39 amino acids), positive charge, and amphipathic α-helical structure. They are active mainly against Gram-negative bacteria (3.12-12.5 μg/mL), with low toxicity on eukaryotic cells resulting in high therapeutic indexes (TI > 30). Peptides also showed effects on TNFα production in LPS-stimulated PBMCs. The biological activity of Satanin 1, 2 and Curvicin makes them interesting leads for antimicrobial strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Carolina Henao Arias
- Center of Biomedical Research, Group of Molecular Immunology, Universidad del Quindío, Cra, 15 calle 12 norte, Armenia, Quindío, Colombia
| | - Lily Johana Toro
- Center of Biomedical Research, Group of Molecular Immunology, Universidad del Quindío, Cra, 15 calle 12 norte, Armenia, Quindío, Colombia
| | - Germán Alberto Téllez Ramirez
- Center of Biomedical Research, Group of Molecular Immunology, Universidad del Quindío, Cra, 15 calle 12 norte, Armenia, Quindío, Colombia.
| | - Juan Felipe Osorio-Méndez
- Center of Biomedical Research, Group of Molecular Immunology, Universidad del Quindío, Cra, 15 calle 12 norte, Armenia, Quindío, Colombia
| | - Adrián Rodríguez-Carlos
- Medical Research Unit Zacatecas, IMSS, Interior de la Alameda #45, col. Centro, Zacatecas, Cp. 98000, Mexico
| | - Javier Valle
- Proteomics and Protein Chemistry Unit, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sara Paulina Marín-Luevano
- Medical Research Unit Zacatecas, IMSS, Interior de la Alameda #45, col. Centro, Zacatecas, Cp. 98000, Mexico
| | - Bruno Rivas-Santiago
- Medical Research Unit Zacatecas, IMSS, Interior de la Alameda #45, col. Centro, Zacatecas, Cp. 98000, Mexico.
| | - David Andreu
- Proteomics and Protein Chemistry Unit, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Jhon Carlos Castaño Osorio
- Center of Biomedical Research, Group of Molecular Immunology, Universidad del Quindío, Cra, 15 calle 12 norte, Armenia, Quindío, Colombia
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Brady D, Grapputo A, Romoli O, Sandrelli F. Insect Cecropins, Antimicrobial Peptides with Potential Therapeutic Applications. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E5862. [PMID: 31766730 PMCID: PMC6929098 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20235862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The alarming escalation of infectious diseases resistant to conventional antibiotics requires urgent global actions, including the development of new therapeutics. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent potential alternatives in the treatment of multi-drug resistant (MDR) infections. Here, we focus on Cecropins (Cecs), a group of naturally occurring AMPs in insects, and on synthetic Cec-analogs. We describe their action mechanisms and antimicrobial activity against MDR bacteria and other pathogens. We report several data suggesting that Cec and Cec-analog peptides are promising antibacterial therapeutic candidates, including their low toxicity against mammalian cells, and anti-inflammatory activity. We highlight limitations linked to the use of peptides as therapeutics and discuss methods overcoming these constraints, particularly regarding the introduction of nanotechnologies. New formulations based on natural Cecs would allow the development of drugs active against Gram-negative bacteria, and those based on Cec-analogs would give rise to therapeutics effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. Cecs and Cec-analogs might be also employed to coat biomaterials for medical devices as an approach to prevent biomaterial-associated infections. The cost of large-scale production is discussed in comparison with the economic and social burden resulting from the progressive diffusion of MDR infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Brady
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy; (D.B.); (A.G.); (O.R.)
| | - Alessandro Grapputo
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy; (D.B.); (A.G.); (O.R.)
| | - Ottavia Romoli
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy; (D.B.); (A.G.); (O.R.)
- Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, 23 Avenue Pasteur, 97306 Cayenne, French Guiana, France
| | - Federica Sandrelli
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy; (D.B.); (A.G.); (O.R.)
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Duwadi D, Shrestha A, Yilma B, Kozlovski I, Sa-Eed M, Dahal N, Jukosky J. Identification and screening of potent antimicrobial peptides in arthropod genomes. Peptides 2018; 103:26-30. [PMID: 29501691 PMCID: PMC5913751 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2018.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Using tBLASTn and BLASTp searches, we queried recently sequenced arthropod genomes and expressed sequence tags (ESTs) using a database of known arthropod cecropins, defensins, and attacins. We identified and synthesized 6 potential AMPs and screened them for antimicrobial activity. Using radial diffusion assays and microtiter antimicrobial assays, we assessed the in vitro antimicrobial effects of these peptides against several human pathogens including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. We also conducted hemolysis assays to examine the cytotoxicity of these peptides to mammalian cells. Four of the six peptides identified showed antimicrobial effects in these assays. We also created truncated versions of these four peptides to assay their antimicrobial activity. Two cecropins derived from the monarch butterfly genome (Danaus plexippus), DAN1 and DAN2, showed minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) in the range of 2-16 μg/ml when screened against Gram-negative bacteria. HOLO1 and LOUDEF1, two defensin-like peptides derived from red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) and human body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus), respectively, exhibited MICs in the range of 13-25 μg/ml against Gram-positive bacteria. Furthermore, HOLO1 showed an MIC less than 5 μg/ml against the fungal species Candida albicans. These peptides exhibited no hemolytic activity at concentrations up to 200 μg/ml. The truncated peptides derived from DAN2 and HOLO1 showed very little antimicrobial activity. Our experiments show that the peptides DAN1, DAN2, HOLO1, and LOUDEF1 showed potent antimicrobial activity in vitro against common human pathogens, did not lyse mammalian red blood cells, and indicates their potential as templates for novel therapeutic agents against microbial infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepesh Duwadi
- Colby-Sawyer College, Department of Natural Science, New London, NH, USA
| | - Anishma Shrestha
- Colby-Sawyer College, Department of Natural Science, New London, NH, USA
| | - Binyam Yilma
- Colby-Sawyer College, Department of Natural Science, New London, NH, USA
| | - Itamar Kozlovski
- Colby-Sawyer College, Department of Natural Science, New London, NH, USA
| | - Munaya Sa-Eed
- Colby-Sawyer College, Department of Natural Science, New London, NH, USA
| | - Nikesh Dahal
- Colby-Sawyer College, Department of Natural Science, New London, NH, USA
| | - James Jukosky
- Colby-Sawyer College, Department of Natural Science, New London, NH, USA.
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Tassanakajon A, Somboonwiwat K, Amparyup P. Sequence diversity and evolution of antimicrobial peptides in invertebrates. Dev Comp Immunol 2015; 48:324-341. [PMID: 24950415 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2014.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2014] [Revised: 05/29/2014] [Accepted: 05/31/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are evolutionarily ancient molecules that act as the key components in the invertebrate innate immunity against invading pathogens. Several AMPs have been identified and characterized in invertebrates, and found to display considerable diversity in their amino acid sequence, structure and biological activity. AMP genes appear to have rapidly evolved, which might have arisen from the co-evolutionary arms race between host and pathogens, and enabled organisms to survive in different microbial environments. Here, the sequence diversity of invertebrate AMPs (defensins, cecropins, crustins and anti-lipopolysaccharide factors) are presented to provide a better understanding of the evolution pattern of these peptides that play a major role in host defense mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anchalee Tassanakajon
- Center of Excellence for Molecular Biology and Genomics of Shrimp, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
| | - Kunlaya Somboonwiwat
- Center of Excellence for Molecular Biology and Genomics of Shrimp, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Piti Amparyup
- Center of Excellence for Molecular Biology and Genomics of Shrimp, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 113 Paholyothin Road, Klong 1, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand
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