title: Feleucins: novel bombinin precursor-encoded nonapeptide amides from the skin secretion of Bombina variegata.
abstract: The first amphibian skin antimicrobial peptide (AMP) to be identified was named bombinin, reflecting its origin from the skin of the European yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegata). Bombinins and their related peptides, the bombinin Hs, were subsequently reported from other bombinid toads. Molecular cloning of bombinin-encoding cDNAs from skin found that bombinins and bombinin Hs were coencoded on the same precursor proteins. Here, we report the molecular cloning of two novel cDNAs from a skin secretion-derived cDNA library of B. variegata whose open-reading frames each encode a novel bombinin (GIGGALLNVGKVALKGLAKGLAEHFANamide) and a C-terminally located single copy of a novel nonapeptide (FLGLLGGLLamide or FLGLIGSLLamide). These novel nonapeptides were named feleucin-BV1 and feleucin-BV2, respectively. The novel bombinin exhibited 89% identity to homologues from the toads, B. microdeladigitora and B. maxima. The feleucins exhibited no identity with any amphibian AMP archived in databases. Synthetic feleucins exhibited a weak activity against Staphylococcus aureus (128-256 mg/L) but feleucin-BV1 exhibited a synergistic action with the novel bombinin. The present report clearly demonstrates that the skin secretions of bombinid toads continue to represent a source of peptides of novel structure that could provide templates for the design of therapeutics.
authors.affiliation: Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
authors.forename: Xiaojuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8811-8489
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
authors.forename: Lilin
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5439-2869
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Centre for Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5095-5206
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
authors.forename: Chengbang
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6759-1392
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2576-0252
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Formulae Research, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210046, China.
authors.forename: Jinao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
authors.forename: Tianbao
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8011-9260
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3354-9062
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shaw
mesh_terms: D000577:Amides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D001001:Anura / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D006736:Horses; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000577:Amides; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D009842:Oligopeptides