title: Lividins: novel antimicrobial peptide homologs from the skin secretion of the Chinese Large Odorous frog, Rana (Odorrana) livida. Identification by "shotgun" cDNA cloning and sequence analysis.
abstract: Odorous frogs of the sub-genus Odorrana are of oriental distribution, and are so called due to the foul smell of their defensive skin secretions released from specialized skin glands following stress or predator attack. Here we report the application of a "shotgun" skin secretion cDNA library cloning technique which can rapidly expedite identification of secretion bioactive peptides. From a library constructed from the skin secretion of the Large Chinese Odorous frog, Rana (Odorrana) livida, we have identified four novel peptides whose primary structures were deduced initially from cloned precursors. Subsequently, mature peptides were located in and structurally characterized from reverse phase HPLC fractions of skin secretion. Named lividins 1-4, these were found to be structural homologs of known antimicrobial peptide families from Rana frogs. Rapid identification of novel peptides can thus be rapidly achieved using this non-invasive, non-destructive technology and the extensive similarities revealed between antimicrobial peptide precursor organization and nucleic acid sequences would lend support to the hypothesis that they have a common ancestral origin.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Tianbao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shaw
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D011898:Ranidae / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D010455:Peptides