Interaction between liposomes and sarcotoxin IA, a potent antibacterial protein of Sarcophaga peregrina (flesh fly)

The direct interaction between phospholipids and sarcotoxin IA, a potent bactericidal protein of Sarcophaga peregrina, was studied using authentic sarcotoxin IA, its synthetic derivatives, and various liposomes. Results showed that sarcotoxin IA interacted with liposomes constituted from acidic phospholipids, resulting in the release of glucose trapped in these liposomes. The amidated carboxyl-terminal of this protein was found to be important for this interaction. Liposomes constituted from total phospholipids of Escherichia coli became less susceptible to sarcotoxin IA with an increase in their cholesterol content. Since bacterial membranes do not contain cholesterol, this finding may partly explain the selective toxicity of sarcotoxin I to bacteria.     

Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells harboring the gene encoding sarcotoxin IA secrete a peptide that is toxic to plant pathogenic bacteria.

Sarcotoxin IA is a cecropin-type antibacterial protein produced by the flesh fly, Sarcophaga peregrina. Similar to other bactericidal small proteins produced by insects, sarcotoxin IA is released into the hemolymph of larvae and nymphs upon mechanical injury or bacterial infection. The gene (sarco) that encodes this toxin was introduced into Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells and was expressed under a constitutive yeast promoter. The transformed yeast cells were grown in a liquid medium, and a peptide with a similar molecular size to that of the mature sarcotoxin IA was detected in the medium by Western blot analysis. The secreted sarcotoxin-like peptide (SLP) had a potent cytotoxic effect against several bacteria, including plant pathogenic bacteria, similar to the toxic effects of the authentic sarcotoxin IA. Erwinia carotovora was more susceptible to the toxic medium than Pseudomonas solanacearum and Pseudomonas syringae pv. lachrymans. Thus, yeast may be used in the production of such proteins for employment against various bacterial pathogens.     

Molecular cloning of a cDNA and assignment of the C-terminal of sarcotoxin IA, a potent antibacterial protein of Sarcophaga peregrina.

A previous paper described the complete amino acid sequences of sarcotoxins IA, IB and IC, which are a group of potent antibacterial proteins with almost identical primary structures produced by Sarcophaga peregrina (fleshfly) larvae [Okada & Natori (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 7174-7177]. The present paper describes the cDNA cloning and complete nucleotide sequencing of a cDNA clone for sarcotoxin IA. The C-terminal amino acid residue of sarcotoxin IA deduced from the nucleotide sequence was glycine, whereas it was found to be arginine by amino acid sequencing of purified sarcotoxin IA. Analysis of the elution profiles on h.p.l.c. of the synthetic derivatives of sarcotoxin IA showed that the C-terminal amino acid residue of authentic sarcotoxin IA is amidated arginine, which is probably produced by enzymic cleavage of terminal glycine.     

Participation of two N-terminal residues in LPS-neutralizing activity of sarcotoxin IA

Sarcotoxin IA is a cecropin-type antibacterial peptide of flesh fly. Using a mutant sarcotoxin IA lacking two N-terminal residues, we demonstrated that these residues are indispensable for its antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and LPS-binding. Contrary to the native sarcotoxin IA, the mutant sarcotoxin IA could not neutralize various biological activities of LPS. It was suggested that sarcotoxin IA firmly binds to the lipid A core of LPS via these two N-terminal residues and forms a stable binding complex that exhibits no appreciable biological activity like native LPS.     

Expression of the recombinant antibacterial peptide sarcotoxin IA in Escherichia coli cells

Sarcotoxin IA is an antibacterial peptide that is secreted by a meat-fly Sarcophaga peregrina larva in response to a hypodermic injury or bacterial infection. This peptide is highly toxic against a broad spectrum of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and lethal to microbes even at nanomolar concentrations. However, research needs as well as its potential use in medicine require substantial amounts of highly purified sarcotoxin. Because heterologous expression systems proved to be inefficient due to sarcotoxin sensitivity to intracellular proteases, here we propose the biosynthesis of sarcotoxin precursors in Escherichia coli cells that are highly sensitive to the mature peptide. To optimize its biosynthesis, sarcotoxin was translationally fused with proteins highly expressed in E. coli. A fusion partner and the position of sarcotoxin in the chimeric polypeptide were crucial for protecting the sarcotoxin portion of the fusion protein from proteolysis. Released after chemical cleavage of the fusion protein and purified to homogeneity, sarcotoxin displayed antibacterial activity comparable to that previously reported for the natural peptide.     

A peptide from insects protects transgenic tobacco from a parasitic weed

Parasitic plants present some of the most intractable weed problems for agriculture in much of the world. Species of root parasites such as Orobanche can cause enormous yield losses, yet few control measures are effective and affordable. An ideal solution to this problem is the development of parasite-resistant crops, but this goal has been elusive for most susceptible crops. Here we report a mechanism for resistance to the parasitic angiosperm Orobanche based on expression of sarcotoxin IA in transgenic tobacco. Sarcotoxin IA is a 40-residue peptide with antibiotic activity, originally isolated from the fly, Sarcophaga peregrina. The sarcotoxin IA gene was fused to an Orobanche-inducible promoter, HMG2, which is induced locally in the host root at the point of contact with the parasite, and used to transform tobacco. The resulting transgenic plants accumulated more biomass than non-transformed plants in the presence of parasites. Furthermore, plants expressing sarcotoxin IA showed enhanced resistance to O. aegyptiaca as evidenced by abnormal parasite development and higher parasite mortality after attachment as compared to non-transformed plants. The transgenic plants were similar in appearance to non-transformed plants suggesting that sarcotoxin IA is not detrimental to the host.     

Induced expression of sarcotoxin IA enhanced host resistance against both bacterial and fungal pathogens in transgenic tobacco

We demonstrate here that induced expression of sarcotoxin IA, a bactericidal peptide from Sarcophaga peregrina, enhanced the resistance of transgenic tobacco plants to both bacterial and fungal pathogens. The peptide was produced with a modified PR1a promoter, which is further activated by salicylic acid treatment and necrotic lesion formation by pathogen infection. Host resistance to infection of bacteria Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci was shown to be dependent on the amounts of sarcotoxin IA expressed. Since we found antifungal activity of the peptide in vitro, transgenic seedlings were also inoculated with fungal pathogens Rhizoctonia solani and Pythium aphanidermatum. Transgenic plants expressing higher levels of sarcotoxin were able to withstand fungal infection and remained healthy even after 4 weeks, while control plants were dead by fungal infection after 2 weeks.     

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of analogues of the N-terminal fragment of the sarcotoxin IA antimicrobial peptide

Three 18-membered analogues of the N-terminal fragment of the sarcotoxin IA cationic antimicrobial peptide were synthesized by the solid phase method of peptide synthesis with the use of swellographic monitoring. The ability of these peptides to inhibit the growth of various bacteria in culture medium and their hemolytic activity in experiments on human erythrocytes were studied. The analogue completely corresponding to the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the natural sarcotoxin IA with the amide group on its C-terminus exhibited higher antibacterial activity. The presence of carboxyl group on the C-terminus or the substitution of Tyr for Trp2 resulted in a decrease in the antimicrobial activity of the peptide. Our results indicate that the amphiphilic N-terminal peptide corresponding to the 1-18 sequence of sarcotoxin IA involves the moieties responsible for the antimicrobial activity of the antibiotic.     

Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Analogues of the N-Terminal Fragment of the Sarcotoxin IA Antimicrobial Peptide

Three 18-membered analogues of the N-terminal fragment of the sarcotoxin IA cationic antimicrobial peptide were synthesized by the solid phase method of peptide synthesis with the use of swellographic monitoring. The ability of these peptides to inhibit the growth of various bacteria in culture medium and their hemolytic activity in experiments on human erythrocytes were studied. The analogue completely corresponding to the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the natural sarcotoxin IA with the amide group on its C-terminus exhibited higher antibacterial activity. The presence of carboxyl group on the C-terminus or the substitution of Tyr for Trp2 resulted in a decrease in the antimicrobial activity of the peptide. Our results indicate that the amphiphilic N-terminal peptide corresponding to the 1–18 sequence of sarcotoxin IA involves the moieties responsible for the antimicrobial activity of the antibiotic.     

Primary structure of sarcotoxin I, an antibacterial protein induced in the hemolymph of Sarcophaga peregrina (flesh fly) larvae

The primary structure of sarcotoxin I, a potent bactericidal protein induced in the hemolymph of larvae of Sarcophaga peregrina (flesh fly), was investigated. Sarcotoxin I was a mixture of three proteins (sarcotoxins IA, IB, and IC) with almost identical primary structures. These proteins were found to consist of 39 amino acid residues and to differ in only 2-3 amino acid residues. The amino-terminal half of the molecules was rich in charged amino acids and was hydrophilic, whereas the carboxyl-terminal half was hydrophobic. It is suggested that the carboxyl-terminal half of sarcotoxin I penetrates into the bacterial membrane and that its amino-terminal half rich in basic amino acid residues interacts with acidic phospholipids in the bacterial membrane, resulting in perturbation of the membrane and loss of viability of the bacteria.     

Expression of human papillomavirus type 6b E2 gene product with DNA-binding activity in insect (Bombyx mori) cells using a baculovirus expression vector

Human papillomavirus type 6b (HPV6b) has been shown to be a major etiologic agent of genital condylomas. The E2 gene, one of the early genes, has been shown to activate the enhancer element in trans in cells transformed with bovine papillomavirus type 1a (BPV1a) but the E2 gene product of any HPV has not been identified. The E2 gene of HPV6b was inserted into the polyhedrin gene of a Baculovirus, Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV), 156 bp downstream from the translational start codon, and transferred into BmNPV by allelic replacement in a cotransfected Bombyx mori cell line, Bm-N. The predicted 46-kDa protein was produced by a recombinant virus in the infected Bm-N cells at a high level under the control of the polyhedrin promoter. We obtained the antibody against the putative E2-polyhedrin fusion protein by immunizing a rabbit with this protein. This protein reacted with the antibodies against polyhedrin and the fusion protein. This protein did specifically bind to the upstream regulatory region of the HPV6b and BPV1a genomes. This DNA binding activity was blocked by the antibody against this protein.     

重组家蚕核型多角体病毒表达乙肝病毒S区抗原

报道了将乙型肝炎病毒（ａｄｒ亚型）Ｓ区基因（共６８１ｎｔ）克隆于家蚕核型多角体病毒的基因组中,并将其导入家蚕细胞,通过多轮筛选得到纯的重组家蚕杆状病毒,用该病毒接种家蚕,初步证明能够得到乙肝表面抗原的高效表达,在家蚕幼虫的血淋巴和蛹体中其用ＰＲＨＡ法检测的滴度可达１∶４０９６。     

Purification of Sarcophaga (fleshfly) lectin and detection of sarcotoxins in the culture medium of NIH-Sape-4, an embryonic cell line of Sarcophaga peregrina.

An established cell line originating from a Sarcophaga peregrina (fleshfly) embryo, NIH-Sape-4, was found to synthesize mRNAs for Sarcophaga lectin and sarcotoxin IA, but not those for storage protein or 25 kDa protein. These four proteins are known to be synthesized in the fat-body of third-instar larvae, and the two former in particular are known to participate in the defence mechanism of this insect and to be induced in response to injury of the body wall. Thus the embryonic cell line NIH-Sape-4 synthesizes certain defence proteins constitutively. This cell line will be useful for large-scale purification of Sarcophaga lectin, since 50 micrograms of purified Sarcophaga lectin could be obtained from about 400 ml of culture medium.     

Ionophore activity of sarcotoxin I, a bactericidal protein of Sarcophaga peregrina.

When Escherichia coli was treated with sarcotoxin I, a potent bactericidal protein of Sarcophaga peregrina (fleshfly), K+ inside of the cells leaked out rapidly and the ATP pool of the cells rapidly decreased. These results suggested that the bactericidal effect of sarcotoxin I was due to its ionophore activity, and that it blocked the generation of ATP by inhibiting formation of the proton gradient essential for oxidative phosphorylation. This was confirmed by use of an uncA mutant, which was much less susceptible than the wild-type strain to sarcotoxin I under fixed ionic conditions.     

A Novel Antimicrobial Peptide Derived from the Insect Paederus dermatitis

Much research has been focused on antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) derived from insect immune defense reactions due to their potential in the development of new antibiotics. In this study, a new AMP from the insect Paederus dermatitis, named sarcotoxin Pd was identified and purified using gel filtration and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Our results showed that this peptide has broad-spectrum inhibitory effects on examined microbes. Sarcotoxin Pd is composed of 34 amino acids and its molecular weight was estimated to be 3613.26 ± 0.5 Da. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of sarcotoxin Pd against Gram-negative bacteria were lower than Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. The identified peptide showed the highest antimicrobial effect against Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli. This peptide did not reveal significant hemolytic activity against human red blood cells particularly in the range of MIC values. Confirming the potential antimicrobial activities of synthetic peptide, this paper addresses the role of sarcotoxin Pd in the treatment of systemic microbial illnesses.     

Purification of sarcotoxin III, a new antibacterial protein of Sarcophaga peregrina

A glycine-rich antibacterial protein with a molecular mass of 7,000 termed sarcotoxin III, was purified to homogeneity from the hemolymph of third instar larvae of Sarcophaga peregrina. When the hemolymph was fractionated, this protein was recovered in the same fraction as sarcotoxin I, a group of potent antibacterial proteins that have been purified. But, it was clearly different from sarcotoxin I in amino acid composition and molecular mass. Sarcotoxin III was shown to be induced in the hemolymph in response to injury of the larval body wall.     

Purification of three antibacterial proteins from the culture medium of NIH-Sape-4, an embryonic cell line of Sarcophaga peregrina

Three antibacterial proteins were purified from the culture medium of NIH-Sape-4, an embryonic cell line of Sarcophaga peregrina (flesh fly). Sequencing studies showed that two of these proteins belong to the sarcotoxin I family, potent antibacterial proteins purified from the hemolymph of Sarcophaga larvae, whereas the other protein, named sapecin, is a new protein consisting of 40 amino acid residues including 6 cysteine residues. Unlike sarcotoxin I, sapecin preferentially represses the growth of various Gram-positive bacteria. The proteins of the sarcotoxin I family produced by this cell line were found to have carboxyl-terminal glycine, whereas sarcotoxin I in the hemolymph has amidated amino acids. This suggests that the embryonic cells lack an enzyme that cleaves off carboxyl-terminal glycine to form a new amidated carboxyl terminus.     

Inhibitory effect of sarcotoxin IIA, an antibacterial protein of Sarcophaga peregrina, on growth of Escherichia coli

The effect of sarcotoxin IIA, an antibacterial protein of Sarcophaga peregrina (flesh fly), on Escherichia coli was investigated. Sarcotoxin IIA was found to have a bacterial effect on growing bacteria, but little on non-growing bacteria. At a concentration of 25 micrograms/ml, it induced significant morphological change of growing E. coli cells. In its presence, growing cells became greatly elongated, and spheroplast-like bulges and projections appeared on their surface. A rough mutant strain of E. coli with a defect in the structure of lipopolysaccharide was more sensitive than the parent strain to sarcotoxin IIA. These results suggest that the main effect of sarcotoxin IIA is to inhibit cell wall synthesis, including septum formation.     

Cloning of gene cluster for sarcotoxin I, antibacterial proteins of Sarcophaga peregrina

A genomic clone of sarcotoxin I was isolated. This clone contained four genes of structurally related proteins belonging to the sarcotoxin I family present in tandem array. One of these genes was sequenced and found to be the sarcotoxin IB gene. This gene contained a single intron of 95 bases.