title: Gallinacins: cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides of chicken leukocytes.
abstract: We purified three homologous antimicrobial peptides ('gallinacins') from chicken leukocytes, examined their antimicrobial activity in vitro, and established their primary sequences by a combination of gas phase microsequencing and on-line LC-ESI-MS analysis of endo- and exoprotease peptide digests. The peptides contained 36-39 amino acid residues, were relatively cationic due to their numerous lysine and arginine residues, and each contained 3 intramolecular cystine disulfide bonds. Gallinacins showed primary sequence homology to the recently delineated beta-defensin family, heretofore found only in the respiratory epithelial cells and neutrophils of cattle, suggesting that beta-defensins originated at least 250 million years ago, before avian and mammalian lineages diverged. The 9 invariant residues (6 cysteines, 2 glycines and 1 proline) common to avian gallinacins and bovine beta-defensins are likely to constitute the essential primary structural motif of this ancient family of host-defense peptides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, UCLA Center for the Health Sciences 90024.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Harwig
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Swiderek
authors.forename: V N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Kokryakov
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Panyutich
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Aleshina
authors.forename: O V
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: Shamova
authors.forename: R I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Lehrer
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D030161:Avian Proteins; D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D002645:Chickens / Q000276:immunology*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003545:Cysteine / Q000737:chemistry; D023082:Defensins; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D030161:Avian Proteins; D001798:Blood Proteins; D023082:Defensins; D010455:Peptides; C086738:gallinacin 2 protein, chicken; C086732:gallinacin 1 protein, chicken; D003545:Cysteine