title: A Novel Defensin-Like Peptide Associated with Two Other New Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides in Transcriptome of the Iranian Scorpion Venom.
abstract: Scorpion venom is a source of bioactive peptides, and some antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been found in the venom gland of scorpions. Therefore, the discovery of new anti-infective agents is an essential need to overcome the problem of antibiotic resistance of clinical isolates. Here, we describe three new cationic AMPs, including meuVAP-6, meuAP-18-1, and meuPep34 from the venom gland of the Iranian scorpion, Mesobuthus eupeus.
  
  
  
  The cDNA sequences encoding all the three peptides were obtained from the cDNA library of scorpion venom gland and were deposited in the GenBank database.
  
  
  
  MeuVAP-6 and meuAP-18-1 are non-disulphide-bridged antimicrobial peptides, while meuPep34 is a cysteine-rich defensin-like peptide.
  
  
  
  All three identified AMPs are rich in arginine and tryptophan. The overall results from the length, net charge, and hydrophobicity index suggested that meuPep34 could be the most active AMPs with the potential ability of biofilm inhibition. The data from molecular characterization of identified AMPs can provide a platform for further investigations in the drug design.
authors: Toxicology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors: Masoumeh
authors: M
authors: Baradaran
authors: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Toxicology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors: Amir
authors: A
authors: Jalali
authors: Department of Genetics, Faculty of Sciences, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors: Maryam
authors: M
authors: Naderi Soorki
authors: Toxicology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors: Hamid
authors: H
authors: Galehdari
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D023082:Defensins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007492:Iran; D008958:Models, Molecular; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D012604:Scorpion Venoms / Q000235:genetics*; D059467:Transcriptome / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D023082:Defensins; D012604:Scorpion Venoms
keywords: Antimicrobial cationic peptides; Defensin-like peptide; Mesobuthus eupeus