Li Ling-Ling, Liu Tao-Lin, Wu Ping, Du Nian-Yan, Tian Li-Hong, Hou Zhi-Jun
College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, Harbin 150040, China.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Jun 22;11(7):1857. doi: 10.3390/ani11071857.
The blue fox (), a fur-bearing animal, is an important component of the breeding industry in China. Semen quality is a key factor for the reproductive process and the breeding effectiveness of the farmed blue fox. However, bacterial contamination in semen samples utilized in artificial fertilization is very common. The β-defensins, a class of important antimicrobial peptides in mammals, could protect the reproductive system of male animals from bacterial invasion, maintain the stability of the genital tract microenvironment and improve semen quality. In this study, molecular cloning and bioinformatics analysis were conducted to analyze the protein structure and function of blue fox β-defensin 108 ( beta-defensin 108, vBD108) and 122 ( beta-defensin 122, vBD122). To evaluate the bacteriostatic effect of recombinant vBDs ( beta-defensins) protein, varying concentrations (0, 25, 50, 100, 200 µg/mL) were taken to evaluate the effects on and at different times (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 h). The results showed that vBD108 and vBD122 existed in different forms in protein structure and had antibacterial activity. Both proteins, at 50 µg/mL, had efficacious bacteriostatic activity. This study shows that recombinant vBD108 and vBD122 proteins have good antibacterial activity in vitro. This implies a potential role in improving semen quality and hygienic measures in the process of artificial insemination as an extender of semen dilution with antibacterial activity.
蓝狐是一种产毛皮动物，是中国养殖业的重要组成部分。精液质量是养殖蓝狐繁殖过程和繁殖效果的关键因素。然而，人工授精所用精液样本中的细菌污染非常普遍。β-防御素是哺乳动物中一类重要的抗菌肽，可保护雄性动物的生殖系统免受细菌入侵，维持生殖道微环境的稳定并提高精液质量。在本研究中，进行了分子克隆和生物信息学分析，以分析蓝狐β-防御素108（beta-防御素108，vBD108）和122（beta-防御素122，vBD122）的蛋白质结构和功能。为了评估重组vBDs（β-防御素）蛋白的抑菌效果，采用不同浓度（0、25、50、100、200µg/mL）在不同时间（0、2、4、6、8、12小时）评估对[具体细菌名称未给出]和[具体细菌名称未给出]的影响。结果表明，vBD108和vBD122在蛋白质结构中以不同形式存在并具有抗菌活性。两种蛋白在50µg/mL时均具有有效的抑菌活性。本研究表明，重组vBD108和vBD122蛋白在体外具有良好的抗菌活性。这意味着在人工授精过程中作为具有抗菌活性的精液稀释剂，在提高精液质量和卫生措施方面具有潜在作用。
