title: PD-sauvagine: a novel sauvagine/corticotropin releasing factor analogue from the skin secretion of the Mexican giant leaf frog, Pachymedusa dacnicolor.
abstract: Sauvagine is a potent and broad-spectrum biologically active peptide of 40 amino acid residues originally isolated from the skin of the South American frog, Phyllomedusa sauvagei. Since its discovery, no additional sauvagine structures have been reported. Following the discovery of sauvagine, peptides with similar primary structures/activities were identified in mammalian brain [corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and urocortin]. Here, we report the identification of a second sauvagine from the Mexican giant leaf frog, Pachymedusa dacnicolor, which displays primary structural features of both sauvagine and CRF. A cDNA encoding the peptide precursor was "shotgun" cloned from a cDNA library constructed from lyophilised skin secretion by 3'- and 5'-RACE reactions. From this, the primary structure of a 38-mer peptide was deduced and this was located in reverse phase HPLC fractions of skin secretion and both its mass and structure were confirmed by mass spectrometry. The biological activities of synthetic replicates of PD-sauvagine and sauvagine were compared using two different mammalian smooth muscle preparations and the novel peptide was found to be more potent in both. Bioinformatic analyses of PD-sauvagine revealed that it shared different regional sequence identities with both sauvagine and CRF.
authors: Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors: Yu
authors: Y
authors: Zhou
authors: Yingchun
authors: Y
authors: Jiang
authors: Ran
authors: R
authors: Wang
authors: Bing
authors: B
authors: Bai
authors: Mei
authors: M
authors: Zhou
authors: Tianbao
authors: T
authors: Chen
authors: Jiqun
authors: J
authors: Cai
authors: Lei
authors: L
authors: Wang
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: Shaw
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D029845:Amphibian Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001001:Anura / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003106:Colon / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D020539:Sequence Analysis, Protein; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D029845:Amphibian Proteins; C576945:PD-sauvagine protein, Pachymedusa dacnicolor; D011498:Protein Precursors; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals