Myxinidin, a novel antimicrobial peptide from the epidermal mucus of hagfish, Myxine glutinosa L

Mar Biotechnol (NY). 2009 Nov-Dec;11(6):748-57. doi: 10.1007/s10126-009-9189-y. Epub 2009 Mar 31.

Abstract

Fish epidermal mucus contains innate immune components that provide a first line of defense against various infectious pathogens. This study reports the bioassay-guided fractionation and characterization of a novel antimicrobial peptide, myxinidin, from the acidic epidermal mucus extract of hagfish (Myxine glutinosa L.). Edman sequencing and mass spectrometry revealed that myxinidin consists of 12 amino acids and has a molecular mass of 1,327.68 Da. Myxinidin showed activity against a broad range of bacteria and yeast pathogens at minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) ranging from 1.0 to 10.0 microg/mL. Screened pathogens, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium C610, Escherichia coli D31, Aeromonas salmonicida A449, Yersinia ruckeri 96-4, and Listonella anguillarum 02-11 were found to be highly sensitive to myxinidin at the MBC of 1.0-2.5 microg/mL; Staphylococcus epidermis C621 and yeast (Candida albicans C627) had an MBC of 10.0 microg/mL. The antimicrobial activity of myxinidin was found to be two to 16 times more active than a potent fish-derived antimicrobial peptide, pleurocidin (NRC-17), against most of the screened pathogens. The microbicidal activity of myxinidin was retained in the presence of sodium chloride (NaCl) at concentrations up to 0.3 M and had no hemolytic activity against mammalian red blood cells. These results suggest that myxinidin may have potential applications in fish and human therapeutics.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Anti-Infective Agents / isolation & purification*
  • Anti-Infective Agents / pharmacology
  • Bacteria / drug effects
  • Chemical Fractionation
  • Epidermis / chemistry*
  • Fish Proteins / isolation & purification*
  • Fish Proteins / pharmacology
  • Hagfishes / immunology*
  • Hagfishes / metabolism
  • Immunity, Innate / immunology*
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mucus / chemistry*
  • Oligopeptides / isolation & purification*
  • Oligopeptides / pharmacology
  • Peptides / isolation & purification*
  • Peptides / pharmacology
  • Sequence Analysis, Protein
  • Yeasts / drug effects

Substances

  • Anti-Infective Agents
  • Fish Proteins
  • Oligopeptides
  • Peptides
  • myxinidin peptide, Myxine glutinosa