Processing of an antibacterial peptide from hemocyanin of the freshwater crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus

J Biol Chem. 2003 Mar 7;278(10):7927-33. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M209239200. Epub 2002 Dec 18.

Abstract

An antibacterial peptide with 16 amino acid residues was found in plasma of the freshwater crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus. This peptide, designated astacidin 1, was purified by cation-exchange column chromatography and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Astacidin 1 has a broad range of antibacterial activity, and it inhibits growth of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The primary sequence of astacidin 1 was FKVQNQHGQVVKIFHH-COOH. The molecular mass was 1945.2 Da, and no carbohydrate-linked amino acid residues could be found by mass spectrometry. A synthetic astacidin 1 resulted in similar activity as the authentic astacidin 1 against Gram-positive bacteria, whereas it had less or no activity against Gram-negative bacteria. Three amino-terminal-truncated synthetic peptides were made; they all showed low activity, suggesting that the amino-terminal part of astacidin 1 contributes to the antibacterial activity. The structure of astacidin 1 based on the CD results showed that it has a beta-sheet structure in citric acid buffer at pH 4, 6, and 8. Cloning of astacidin 1 shows that it is the carboxyl-terminal part of crayfish hemocyanin and that astacidin 1 is produced by a proteolytic cleavage from hemocyanin under acidic conditions. The processing and release of astacidin 1 from hemocyanin is enhanced when crayfish are injected with lipopolysaccharide or glucan.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / biosynthesis
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / isolation & purification*
  • Astacoidea
  • Base Sequence
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • DNA
  • Fresh Water
  • Glucans / administration & dosage
  • Hemocyanins / chemistry*
  • Hemolymph / chemistry*
  • Lipopolysaccharides / administration & dosage
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptides*
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Glucans
  • Lipopolysaccharides
  • Peptides
  • DNA
  • Hemocyanins