cDNA cloning and characterization of buforin I, an antimicrobial peptide: a cleavage product of histone H2A.
A cDNA containing coding information for buforin I, the toad stomach antimicrobial peptide, was identified by PCR. The cloned cDNA encoded a protein of 129 amino acids whose 39-amino-acid N-terminus was identical to buforin I. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the cloned cDNA revealed that it had over 90% amino acid homology with histone H2A, the replication-dependent protein. Both Northern and Southern blot analysis of the toad genome suggested that histone H2A and buforin I were encoded by the same gene. A specific protease responsible for the generation of buforin I from histone H2A was found to be present in the crude extracts of the toad stomach. These results suggest that there exists a specific regulation mechanism which converts the toad histone H2A to the antimicrobial peptide buforin I.
Kim
H S
HS
Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Taejon, Korea.
Park
C B
CB
Kim
M S
MS
Kim
S C
SC
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002025:Bufonidae; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D006657:Histones; D010455:Peptides; D011506:Proteins; C097846:buforin I