title: Broad spectrum antibiotic activity of the skin-PYY.
abstract: Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and polypeptide YY (PYY) are two ubiquitous neuropeptides, found in brain and intestines, respectively, where they exert important regulatory functions. In this study, a new member of the YY family recently isolated from amphibian skin, skin-PYY (SPYY), is reported to inhibit irreversibly the proliferation of a broad spectrum of pathogenic microorganisms. NPY and PYY are shown to be endowed with the same activity. Their potency is similar to that of other antibacterial peptides which have been shown to exert their function by disintegrating the bacterial membrane. These findings and the fact that the C-terminal alpha-helical domain SPYY14-36, which is highly conserved among family members, was responsible for killing microorganisms and for permeation of phospholipid vesicles, suggested that the antibiotic activity may emerge via a membrane permeation mechanism. These findings also raise the question whether NPY and PYY exert in vivo a similar function in mammals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Faculté de Medicine Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vouldoukis
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shai
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nicolas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mor
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001001:Anura; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D018320:Leishmania major / Q000187:drug effects; D008081:Liposomes / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D010191:Pancreatic Polypeptide / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D012867:Skin / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D008081:Liposomes; D009478:Neuropeptide Y; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C090047:skin peptide tyrosine-tyrosine; D010191:Pancreatic Polypeptide