title: An overview of Brevinin superfamily: structure, function and clinical perspectives.
abstract: Antimicrobial peptides are the backbone of first-line defense against various microorganisms in the animal kingdom. Thus, not surprisingly, they are gaining attention in the science and medical fields as a rich repository of new pro-drugs. Below, we focus our attention on the Brevinin family of anuran peptides. While most of them show strong antibacterial activities, some, e.g. Brevinin-2R, appear to be promising anticancer molecules, exhibiting better a therapeutic window than widely-use anticancer drugs like doxorubicin. We briefly introduce the field, followed by highlighting the promising therapeutic properties of Brevinins. Next, we provide information about the cloning and phylogenetic aspects of Brevinin genes. In the final paragraphs of this chapter, we discuss possible large-scale production methods of Brevinins, giving examples of some systems that are already in use. Towards the end, we discuss various means of modification of biologic properties of Brevinins, either by chemical modifications or by amino acid substitution and sequence rearrangements. In this context, also other unique properties of Brevinins are briefly mentioned. Finally, we discuss the future of the Brevinin field, particularly highlighting yet to be answered biologic questions, like for example presumed anti-viral and antitumor activities of Brevinin family members.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ICBFM SB RAS), Novosibirsk, Russia.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Savelyeva
authors.forename: Saeid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghavami
authors.forename: Padideh
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Davoodpour
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Asoodeh
authors.forename: Marek J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Los
mesh_terms: D029845:Amphibian Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational / Q000502:physiology; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D029845:Amphibian Proteins; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000998:Antiviral Agents