title: Isolation and characterization of gomesin, an 18-residue cysteine-rich defense peptide from the spider Acanthoscurria gomesiana hemocytes with sequence similarities to horseshoe crab antimicrobial peptides of the tachyplesin family.
abstract: We have purified a small size antimicrobial peptide, named gomesin, from the hemocytes of the unchallenged tarantula spider Acanthoscurria gomesiana. Gomesin has a molecular mass of 2270.4 Da, with 18 amino acids, including a pyroglutamic acid as the N terminus, a C-terminal arginine alpha-amide, and four cysteine residues forming two disulfide bridges. This peptide shows marked sequence similarities to antimicrobial peptides from other arthropods such as tachyplesin and polyphemusin from horseshoe crabs and androctonin from scorpions. Interestingly, it also shows sequence similarities to protegrins, antimicrobial peptides from porcine leukocytes. Gomesin strongly affects bacterial growth, as well as the development of filamentous fungi and yeast. In addition, we showed that gomesin affects the viability of the parasite Leishmania amazonensis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Artrópodes, Instituto Butantan, Avenue Vital Brazil, 1500, CEP 05503-900, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: P I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daffre
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bulet
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000737:chemistry*; D013112:Spiders / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001798:Blood Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D010455:Peptides; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; C415987:gomesin; C057636:tachyplesin peptide, Tachypleus tridentatus