title: Isolation, characterization and chemical synthesis of a new insect defensin from Chironomus plumosus (Diptera).
abstract: Injection of low doses of bacteria into the aquatic larvae of the dipteran insect Chironomus plumosus induces the appearance in their hemolymph of a potent antibacterial activity. We have isolated two 36-residue peptides from this hemolymph which are active against Gram-positive bacteria. The peptides are novel members of the insect defensin family and their sequences present marked differences with those of insect defensins isolated from other dipteran species. We have developed a method for efficient renaturation of this cysteine-rich molecule and obtained a highly pure synthetic Chironomus defensin.
authors.affiliation: UPR 9022, CNRS, Réponse Immunitaire et Développement chez les Insectes, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lauth
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nesin
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Briand
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Roussel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hetru
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002683:Chironomidae / Q000737:chemistry*; D023082:Defensins; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D023082:Defensins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D010455:Peptides; C058181:insect defensin A; C058182:insect defensin B