A novel class of antimicrobial peptides from the scorpion Heterometrus spinifer |
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Authors: | Yao Nie Xian-Chun Zeng Ye Yang Feng Luo Xuesong Luo Shifen Wu Lei Zhang Jianping Zhou |
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Affiliation: | 1. State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, People''s Republic of China;2. Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, People''s Republic of China;3. School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, People''s Republic of China |
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Abstract: | The venom peptides from the scorpion Heterometrus spinifer have been poorly characterized so far. Here, we identified a novel class of antimicrobial peptides from the venom gland of H. spinifer, which were referred to as HsAp, HsAp2, HsAp3 and HsAp4, respectively. Each of the four peptides consists of 29 amino acid residues, and is cationic and weakly amphipathic. They display no significant homology to any other known peptides, and thus represent a new family of venom peptides from scorpions. Antimicrobial assay showed that HsAp is able to inhibit the growth of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria with the MIC values of 11.8–51.2 μM. HsAp is also able to inhibit the growth of the tested fungus. Genomic analysis indicated that the genes of all the four peptides are intronless. Our studies expand the families of antimicrobial peptides from scorpions. |
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Keywords: | Antimicrobial peptide Scorpion venom Heterometrus spinifer Genomic organization Weakly amphipathic peptide |
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