title: Antimicrobial peptides from the skin secretions of the New World frogs Lithobates capito and Lithobates warszewitschii (Ranidae).
abstract: Taxonomic revisions within the anuran family Ranidae have established the genus Lithobates that currently comprises 49 species of frogs from the New World. Peptidomic analysis, using reversed-phase HPLC with on-line detection by electrospray mass spectrometry, has led to the identification of multiple antimicrobial peptides in norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions of the North American frog Lithobates capito and the Central American frog Lithobates warszewitschii. Structural characterization of the peptides demonstrated that the L. capito secretions contained brevinin-1 (1), esculentin-1 (1), esculentin-2 (1), ranatuerin-2 (3), and temporin (2) peptides. L. warszewitschii secretions contained brevinin-1 (1), esculentin-2 (1), ranatuerin-2 (2), and temporin (1) peptides. Values in parentheses indicate number of peptides in each family. Temporin-CPa from L. capito, with the atypical structure IPPFIKKVLTTVF.NH(2), also showed atypical growth-inhibitory activity having greater potency against Escherichia coli (MIC=25 microM) and Candida albicans (MIC=25 microM) than against Staphylococcus aureus (MIC=50 microM). Phylogenetic analysis based upon the amino acid sequences of 37 ranatuerin-2 peptides from 17 species belonging to the genus Lithobates provides support for currently accepted taxonomic relationships. L. capito is sister-group to Lithobates sevosus in a clade that also contains Lithobates areolatus, and Lithobates palustris. L. warszewitschii is most closely related to the Central American species Lithobates tarahumarae and Lithobates vaillanti.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, 17666 Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates. jmconlon@uaeu.ac.ae
authors.forename: J Michael
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Conlon
authors.forename: Mohammed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Meetani
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Coquet
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jouenne
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leprince
authors.forename: Hubert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vaudry
authors.forename: Jolanta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kolodziejek
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nowotny
authors.forename: Jay D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012634:Bodily Secretions / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011898:Ranidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012867:Skin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides