title: Pentadactylin: an antimicrobial peptide from the skin secretions of the South American bullfrog Leptodactylus pentadactylus.
abstract: Norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions were obtained from male specimens of the South American bullfrog, Leptodactylus pentadactylus and shown to contain two peptides that inhibited the growth of microorganisms. The primary structure of a previously undescribed peptide, termed pentadactylin, was established as Gly-Leu-Leu-Asp-Thr-Leu-Lys-Gly-Ala-Ala-Lys-Asn-Val-Val-Gly-Ser-Leu-Ala-Ser-Lys-Val-Met-Glu-Lys-Leu.NH2. The second peptide, which differs from pentadactylin by eight amino acid residues, is identical to fallaxin previously isolated from skin secretions of the Caribbean mountain chicken frog L. fallax. Pentadactylin inhibited the growth of reference strains of both Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus group B) but potencies were relatively low (MIC values in the range 25-200 microM). The peptide showed very low hemolytic activity against human erythrocytes (LD50>400 microM).
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63121, USA.
authors.forename: Jay D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Al-Ghaferi
authors.forename: Bency
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sonnevend
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leprince
authors.forename: Per F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: J Michael
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Conlon
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011892:Rana catesbeiana / Q000378:metabolism*; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides