The action of micromolar concentrations of Deltamethrin on sodium net transport through the in vivo skin of the South American toad Bufo arenarum was studied. The effect of pure ethanolic insecticide solutions and com...The action of micromolar concentrations of Deltamethrin on sodium net transport through the in vivo skin of the South American toad Bufo arenarum was studied. The effect of pure ethanolic insecticide solutions and commercial formulations when applied on the mucosal surface was assayed. Deltamethrin provoked a concentration-independent inhibition; the highest inhibition was found at the lowest concentrations. At highest concentrations of the insecticide the J Na was not altered展开更多
In this study, an antimicrobial component(RTCI) was purified from the skin of Rana temporaria chensinensis, David. Antimicrobial activities of RTCI against clinical multi-drug resistant bacterial strains, including ...In this study, an antimicrobial component(RTCI) was purified from the skin of Rana temporaria chensinensis, David. Antimicrobial activities of RTCI against clinical multi-drug resistant bacterial strains, including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureaus, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus fae-calis, and Proteus mirabilis, were measured in vitro by means of minimal inhibitory concentration and time-kill studies. The results indicate that RTCI could inhibit the growth of these bacteria at a proper concentration and suggest that RT-CI shows a better antimicrobial activity to Gram-negative bacterial strains than to Gram-positive bacterial strains.展开更多
As a group of intestinal hormones and neurotransmitters, cholecystokinins(CCKs) regulate and affect pancreatic enzyme secretion, gastrointestinal motility, pain hypersensitivity, digestion and satiety, and generally...As a group of intestinal hormones and neurotransmitters, cholecystokinins(CCKs) regulate and affect pancreatic enzyme secretion, gastrointestinal motility, pain hypersensitivity, digestion and satiety, and generally contain a DYMGWMDFG sequence at the C-terminus. Many CCKs have been reported in mammals. However, only a few have been reported in amphibians, such as Hyla nigrovittata, Xenopus laevis, and Rana catesbeiana, with none reported in urodele amphibians like newts and salamanders. Here, a CCK called CCK-TV was identified and characterized from the skin of the salamander Tylototriton verrucosus. This CCK contained an amino acid sequence of DYMGWMDF-NH2 as seen in other CCKs. A c DNA encoding the CCK precursor containing 129 amino acid residues was cloned from the c DNA library of T. verrucosus skin. The CCK-TV had the potential to induce the contraction of smooth muscle strips isolated from porcine gallbladder, eliciting contraction at a concentration of 5.0x10-11 mol/L and inducing maximal contraction at a concentration of 2.0x10-6 mol/L. The EC50 was 13.6 nmol/L. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to identify the presence of a CCK in an urodele amphibian.展开更多
Amphibian skin contains rich bioactive peptides. Especially, a large amount of antimicrobial peptides have been identified from amphibian skin secretions. Antimicrobial peptides display potent cytolytic activities aga...Amphibian skin contains rich bioactive peptides. Especially, a large amount of antimicrobial peptides have been identified from amphibian skin secretions. Antimicrobial peptides display potent cytolytic activities against a range of pathogenic bacteria and fungi and play important defense roles. No antimicrobial peptides have been reported from toads belonging to the family of Pelobatidae. In this work, two novel antimicrobial peptides(Megin 1 and Megin 2) were purified and characterized from the skin venoms of spadefoot toad Megophrys minor(Pelobatidae, Anura, Amphibia). Megin 1 had an amino acid sequence of FLKGCWTKWYSLKPKCPF-NH2, which was composed of 18 amino acid residues and contained an intra-molecular disulfide bridge and an amidated C-terminus. Megin 2 had an amino acid sequence of FFVLKFLLKWAGKVGLEHLACKFKNWC, which was composed of 27 amino acid residues and contained an intra-molecular disulfide bridge. Both Megin 1 and Megin 2 showed potential antimicrobial abilities against bacteria and fungi. The MICs of Megin 1 against Escherichia coli, Bacillus dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Candida albicans were 25, 3, 6.25, 3, and 50 μg·m L^(-1), respectively. The corresponding MICs for Megin 2 were 6.25, 1.5, 12.5, 1.5, and 12.5 μg·m L^(-1), respectively. They also exerted strong hemolytic activity against human and rabbit red cells. The results suggested that megin peptides in the toad skin of M. minor displayed toxic effects on both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. This was the first report of antimicrobial peptides from amphibians belonging to the family of Pelobatidae.展开更多
A new neurotensin (NT)-related peptide, margaratensin, was obtained by Sep-Pak C_(18) and RP-HPLC from methanol extracts of the skin of Chinese frog Rana margaratae. The structure of the peptide has been determined to...A new neurotensin (NT)-related peptide, margaratensin, was obtained by Sep-Pak C_(18) and RP-HPLC from methanol extracts of the skin of Chinese frog Rana margaratae. The structure of the peptide has been determined to be Asp-Lys-Arg-Pro-Tyr-lle-Leu-His-Glu, which is found to be homologous to the COOH-terminal sequence of NT, but has an extra His-Glu at the COOH-terminus. The synthetic preparation was shown to be indistinguishable from the native peptide during HPLC, amino acid analysis and bioassay. Margaratensin exhibited a hypotensive effect in the rat but the response was weaker than NT. The peptide could induce a potent and reproducible contractile activity on GPI which was different from xenopsin, another NT-related peptide from amphibian skin.展开更多
A new tetradecapeptide, ranamargarin, has been isolated by Sep-Pak C_(18) and HPLC from methanol extracts of the skin of the Chinese frogRana margaratae. The sequence of the peptide is: Asp-Asp-Ala-Ser-Asp-Arg-Ala-Lys...A new tetradecapeptide, ranamargarin, has been isolated by Sep-Pak C_(18) and HPLC from methanol extracts of the skin of the Chinese frogRana margaratae. The sequence of the peptide is: Asp-Asp-Ala-Ser-Asp-Arg-Ala-Lys-Lys-Phe-Tyr-Gly-Leu-Met-NH_2. This structure has been confirmed by synthesis. The peptide is the largest among the amphibian tachykinins and its N-terminal amino acids are quite different from those of the other tachykinins. The formation of the sulfoxide and peak-splitting of ranamargarin during purification procedures are briefly discussed.展开更多
文摘The action of micromolar concentrations of Deltamethrin on sodium net transport through the in vivo skin of the South American toad Bufo arenarum was studied. The effect of pure ethanolic insecticide solutions and commercial formulations when applied on the mucosal surface was assayed. Deltamethrin provoked a concentration-independent inhibition; the highest inhibition was found at the lowest concentrations. At highest concentrations of the insecticide the J Na was not altered
文摘In this study, an antimicrobial component(RTCI) was purified from the skin of Rana temporaria chensinensis, David. Antimicrobial activities of RTCI against clinical multi-drug resistant bacterial strains, including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureaus, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus fae-calis, and Proteus mirabilis, were measured in vitro by means of minimal inhibitory concentration and time-kill studies. The results indicate that RTCI could inhibit the growth of these bacteria at a proper concentration and suggest that RT-CI shows a better antimicrobial activity to Gram-negative bacterial strains than to Gram-positive bacterial strains.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program)(2013CB911300)National Natural Science Foundation of China(U1132601)the Chinese Academy of Sciences(SAJC201308)
文摘As a group of intestinal hormones and neurotransmitters, cholecystokinins(CCKs) regulate and affect pancreatic enzyme secretion, gastrointestinal motility, pain hypersensitivity, digestion and satiety, and generally contain a DYMGWMDFG sequence at the C-terminus. Many CCKs have been reported in mammals. However, only a few have been reported in amphibians, such as Hyla nigrovittata, Xenopus laevis, and Rana catesbeiana, with none reported in urodele amphibians like newts and salamanders. Here, a CCK called CCK-TV was identified and characterized from the skin of the salamander Tylototriton verrucosus. This CCK contained an amino acid sequence of DYMGWMDF-NH2 as seen in other CCKs. A c DNA encoding the CCK precursor containing 129 amino acid residues was cloned from the c DNA library of T. verrucosus skin. The CCK-TV had the potential to induce the contraction of smooth muscle strips isolated from porcine gallbladder, eliciting contraction at a concentration of 5.0x10-11 mol/L and inducing maximal contraction at a concentration of 2.0x10-6 mol/L. The EC50 was 13.6 nmol/L. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to identify the presence of a CCK in an urodele amphibian.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81273375)Jiangsu Provincial Qing Lan Project
文摘Amphibian skin contains rich bioactive peptides. Especially, a large amount of antimicrobial peptides have been identified from amphibian skin secretions. Antimicrobial peptides display potent cytolytic activities against a range of pathogenic bacteria and fungi and play important defense roles. No antimicrobial peptides have been reported from toads belonging to the family of Pelobatidae. In this work, two novel antimicrobial peptides(Megin 1 and Megin 2) were purified and characterized from the skin venoms of spadefoot toad Megophrys minor(Pelobatidae, Anura, Amphibia). Megin 1 had an amino acid sequence of FLKGCWTKWYSLKPKCPF-NH2, which was composed of 18 amino acid residues and contained an intra-molecular disulfide bridge and an amidated C-terminus. Megin 2 had an amino acid sequence of FFVLKFLLKWAGKVGLEHLACKFKNWC, which was composed of 27 amino acid residues and contained an intra-molecular disulfide bridge. Both Megin 1 and Megin 2 showed potential antimicrobial abilities against bacteria and fungi. The MICs of Megin 1 against Escherichia coli, Bacillus dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Candida albicans were 25, 3, 6.25, 3, and 50 μg·m L^(-1), respectively. The corresponding MICs for Megin 2 were 6.25, 1.5, 12.5, 1.5, and 12.5 μg·m L^(-1), respectively. They also exerted strong hemolytic activity against human and rabbit red cells. The results suggested that megin peptides in the toad skin of M. minor displayed toxic effects on both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. This was the first report of antimicrobial peptides from amphibians belonging to the family of Pelobatidae.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
文摘A new neurotensin (NT)-related peptide, margaratensin, was obtained by Sep-Pak C_(18) and RP-HPLC from methanol extracts of the skin of Chinese frog Rana margaratae. The structure of the peptide has been determined to be Asp-Lys-Arg-Pro-Tyr-lle-Leu-His-Glu, which is found to be homologous to the COOH-terminal sequence of NT, but has an extra His-Glu at the COOH-terminus. The synthetic preparation was shown to be indistinguishable from the native peptide during HPLC, amino acid analysis and bioassay. Margaratensin exhibited a hypotensive effect in the rat but the response was weaker than NT. The peptide could induce a potent and reproducible contractile activity on GPI which was different from xenopsin, another NT-related peptide from amphibian skin.
文摘A new tetradecapeptide, ranamargarin, has been isolated by Sep-Pak C_(18) and HPLC from methanol extracts of the skin of the Chinese frogRana margaratae. The sequence of the peptide is: Asp-Asp-Ala-Ser-Asp-Arg-Ala-Lys-Lys-Phe-Tyr-Gly-Leu-Met-NH_2. This structure has been confirmed by synthesis. The peptide is the largest among the amphibian tachykinins and its N-terminal amino acids are quite different from those of the other tachykinins. The formation of the sulfoxide and peak-splitting of ranamargarin during purification procedures are briefly discussed.