title: Levitide, a neurohormone-like peptide from the skin of Xenopus laevis. Peptide and peptide precursor cDNA sequences.
abstract: A novel peptide, levitide, less than Glu-Gly-Met-Ile-Gly-Thr-Leu-Thr-Ser-Lys-Arg-Ile-Lys-Gln-NH2 has been isolated from skin secretions of the South African frog Xenopus laevis and sequenced by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. Synthetic oligonucleotides were used as probes to screen a X. laevis skin cDNA library for species coding for preprolevitide. Two such clones were detected and their sequences are reported here. Preprolevitide is 88 residues long, exhibits a putative signal sequence at the amino terminus, and contains the levitide peptide at the carboxyl terminus. The levitide precursor shows a striking nucleotide and amino acid (86%) sequence homology with the precursor of xenopsin, a biologically active octapeptide from Xenopus skin, and also encodes a 25-residue amphipathic peptide that is released by processing at a single arginine residue.
authors.affiliation: University Chemical Laboratories, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Poulter
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Terry
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Giovannini
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Gibson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001483:Base Sequence; D002268:Carboxypeptidases; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014357:Trypsin; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010455:Peptides; D011498:Protein Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C055061:levitide; D004247:DNA; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D002268:Carboxypeptidases; C022633:serine carboxypeptidase; D014357:Trypsin