V Anooja V, V Anju M, P Athira P, K Archana, S Neelima, S Muhammed Musthafa, Kesavan Dhanya, Philip Rosamma
Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry, School of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi, 682016, Kerala, India.
Department of Zoology, St. Alberts College, Kochi, Kerala, 682018, India.
Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2025 May 27. doi: 10.1007/s12602-025-10591-6.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are essential components of the innate immune response, which play a significant role in combating pathogenic infections. Hepcidin, a peptide hormone predominantly synthesized in the liver, has been identified to exhibit dual functions in iron metabolism and antimicrobial activity across various organisms. In this study, we describe the molecular characteristics, anti-vibrio activity, and mechanisms of action of a novel hepcidin isoform from the commercially important estuarine fish, Whipfin silver-biddy (Gerres filamentosus). The open reading frame of hepcidin cDNA sequence was 273 base pairs in length, encoding a peptide of 90 amino acids. The active region Gf-Hep contains eight well-conserved cysteine residues which form disulfide bridges stabilizing the antiparallel beta sheet conformation of the peptide. Featuring a C-terminal furin cleavage site (RXXR) within the prodomain and an N-terminal 'QSHI/LS' motif in the mature region, Gf-Hep is classified with the HAMP1 group of fish hepcidins. Recombinantly expressed Gf-Hep exhibited robust antimicrobial activity against Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio fluvialis, Vibrio cholerae, and Vibrio alginolyticus. The modes of action of rGf-Hep included membrane depolarization, membrane permeabilization, and ROS production. With its potent antibacterial properties, direct killing mechanisms, and non-cytotoxic effects on normal cells, rGf-Hep holds promise to be developed as an effective anti-vibrio agent for aquaculture applications.
抗菌肽(AMPs)是先天免疫反应的重要组成部分,在对抗病原体感染中发挥着重要作用。铁调素是一种主要在肝脏中合成的肽激素,已被证实对多种生物的铁代谢和抗菌活性具有双重作用。在本研究中,我们描述了一种来自具有重要商业价值的河口鱼类——长鳍银鲈(Gerres filamentosus)的新型铁调素异构体的分子特征、抗弧菌活性及其作用机制。铁调素cDNA序列的开放阅读框长度为273个碱基对,编码一个由90个氨基酸组成的肽段。活性区域Gf-Hep包含八个保守的半胱氨酸残基,这些残基形成二硫键,稳定了该肽段的反平行β折叠构象。Gf-Hep在其前结构域内具有一个C末端弗林蛋白酶切割位点(RXXR),在成熟区域具有一个N末端“QSHI/LS”基序,属于鱼类铁调素的HAMP1组。重组表达的Gf-Hep对副溶血性弧菌、河流弧菌、霍乱弧菌和溶藻弧菌表现出强大的抗菌活性。rGf-Hep的作用方式包括膜去极化、膜通透性增加和活性氧生成。由于其强大的抗菌特性、直接杀伤机制以及对正常细胞无细胞毒性作用,rGf-Hep有望被开发成为一种用于水产养殖的有效抗弧菌剂。