Daly Kerry A, Digby Matthew R, Lefévre Christophe, Nicholas Kevin R, Deane Elizabeth M, Williamson Peter
Centre for Advanced Technologies in Animal Genetics and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 2008 Mar;149(3):524-33. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2007.12.002. Epub 2008 Jan 11.
Antimicrobial peptides, such as cathelicidin, are an evolutionarily old defense system. However they have more complex actions than just simply their antimicrobial effects, including immunoregulation and interaction with the adaptive immune system. In this study we have characterized several novel cathelicidin-like peptides from the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii). The tammar cathelicidin-like (MaeuCath) mRNA were isolated based on the conservation of the cathelin-like amino terminus. Mature MaeuCath peptides were positively charged with hydrophobic carboxyl tails, features that are fundamental for antimicrobial function. MaeuCath1 was induced in tammar leukocytes in response to pathogen-associated molecular patterns from both gram positive and negative bacteria. In addition, we also examined the expression of MaeuCath1 in the primary and secondary lymphoid organs of the tammar neonate throughout early pouch life. The results from this study demonstrate the importance that MaeuCath1 may play in innate defense of the marsupial young, especially in the mucosal organs. Such expression of antimicrobial peptides may form part of the immune strategies of marsupials for neonatal survival during their post-partum development.
抗菌肽，如cathelicidin，是一种进化上古老的防御系统。然而，它们的作用比单纯的抗菌作用更为复杂，包括免疫调节以及与适应性免疫系统的相互作用。在本研究中，我们鉴定了几种来自短尾矮袋鼠（Macropus eugenii）的新型cathelicidin样肽。基于类cathelin氨基末端的保守性，分离出了短尾矮袋鼠cathelicidin样（MaeuCath）mRNA。成熟的MaeuCath肽带正电荷，具有疏水的羧基末端，这些特征是抗菌功能的基础。MaeuCath1在短尾矮袋鼠白细胞中被革兰氏阳性和阴性细菌的病原体相关分子模式诱导产生。此外，我们还研究了MaeuCath1在短尾矮袋鼠幼崽早期育儿袋生活期间初级和次级淋巴器官中的表达。本研究结果表明MaeuCath1可能在有袋动物幼崽的先天防御中发挥重要作用，尤其是在粘膜器官中。这种抗菌肽的表达可能构成有袋动物产后发育期间新生儿生存免疫策略的一部分。
