title: Thaulin-1: The first antimicrobial peptide isolated from the skin of a Patagonian frog Pleurodema thaul (Anura: Leptodactylidae: Leiuperinae) with activity against Escherichia coli.
abstract: Patagonia's biodiversity has been explored from many points of view, however, skin secretions of native amphibians have not been evaluated for antimicrobial peptide research until now. In this sense, Pleurodema thaul is the first amphibian specie to be studied from this large region of South America. Analysis of cDNA-encoding peptide in skin samples allowed identification of four new antimicrobial peptides. The predicted mature peptides were synthesized and all of them showed weak or null antimicrobial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli with the exception of thaulin-1, a cationic 26-residue linear, amphipathic, Gly- and Leu-rich peptide with moderate antimicrobial activity against E. coli (MIC of 24.7μM). AFM and SPR studies suggested a preferential interaction between these peptides and bacterial membranes. Cytotoxicity assays showed that thaulin peptides had minimal effects at MIC concentrations towards human and animal cells. These are the first peptides described for amphibians of the Pleurodema genus. These findings highlight the potential of the Patagonian region's unexplored biodiversity as a source for new molecule discovery.
authors.affiliation: IPEEC - CONICET, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Bvd. Brown 2915, Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Electronic address: mmarani@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar.
authors.forename: Mariela M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Marani
authors.affiliation: IPCSH - CONICET, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Bvd. Brown 2915, Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Electronic address: orlandoperez@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar.
authors.forename: Luis O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.affiliation: BIOTEC - UFPI, Núcleo de Pesquisa em Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia, Campus de Parnaíba, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Parnaíba, Brazil. Electronic address: alyne.rdearaujo@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alyne Rodrigues
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: de Araujo
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE - LAQV, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 431, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: alexandra.placido@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Plácido
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE - UCIBIO, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 687, Porto 4169-007, Portugal. Electronic address: cfilipams@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Carla F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.affiliation: BIOTEC - UFPI, Núcleo de Pesquisa em Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia, Campus de Parnaíba, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Parnaíba, Brazil. Electronic address: pquelemes@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Patrick Veras
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Quelemes
authors.affiliation: NMT, Núcleo de Medicina Tropical, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil. Electronic address: mayaragco@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mayara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200 Porto, Portugal; IBMC, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal; CEB, Centro de Engenharia Biológica, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal. Electronic address: georgina.alves@ibmc.up.pt.
authors.forename: Ana G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Gomes-Alves
authors.affiliation: INIBIOMA, Instituto de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Medio Ambiente - CONICET - UNComa, Departamento de Biología General, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. Electronic address: mpueta@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pueta
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE - UCIBIO, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 687, Porto 4169-007, Portugal. Electronic address: agsantos@fc.up.pt.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gameiro
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200 Porto, Portugal; IBMC, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal; ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: atomas@ibmc.up.pt.
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tomás
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE - LAQV, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 431, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: cmm@isep.ipp.pt.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Delerue-Matos
authors.affiliation: BIOTEC - UFPI, Núcleo de Pesquisa em Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia, Campus de Parnaíba, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Parnaíba, Brazil; REQUIMTE - UCIBIO, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 687, Porto 4169-007, Portugal. Electronic address: peter.eaton@fc.up.pt.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eaton
authors.affiliation: Instituto NANOBIOTEC, UBA-CONICET, Cátedra de Biotecnología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junín 956, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Electronic address: scamperi@ffyb.uba.ar.
authors.forename: Silvia A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Camperi
authors.affiliation: IDEAus - CONICET, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Bvd. Brown 2915, Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Electronic address: nbasso@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar.
authors.forename: Néstor G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Basso
authors.affiliation: BIOTEC - UFPI, Núcleo de Pesquisa em Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia, Campus de Parnaíba, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Parnaíba, Brazil; REQUIMTE - UCIBIO, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 687, Porto 4169-007, Portugal; NMT, Núcleo de Medicina Tropical, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil. Electronic address: jrleite@pq.cnpq.br.
authors.forename: Jose Roberto
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: de Souza de Almeida Leite
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D029845:Amphibian Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001001:Anura / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D015870:Gene Expression; D007711:Klebsiella pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008958:Models, Molecular; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012867:Skin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D060327:Solid-Phase Synthesis Techniques; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D029845:Amphibian Proteins; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D018076:DNA, Complementary; C000613932:Thaulin-1, Pleurodema thaul
keywords: Anura; Atomic force microscopy; Circular dichroism; Surface Plasmon Resonance; cDNA