Bioactivity Profiling of In Silico Predicted Linear Toxins from the Ants Myrmica rubra and Myrmica ruginodis

Autor: Sabine Hurka, Tim Lüddecke, Anne Paas, Ludwig Dersch, Lennart Schulte, Johanna Eichberg, Kornelia Hardes, Karina Brinkrolf, Andreas Vilcinskas
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Toxins, Vol 14, Iss 12, p 846 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2072-6651
DOI: 10.3390/toxins14120846
Popis: The venoms of ants (Formicidae) are a promising source of novel bioactive molecules with potential for clinical and agricultural applications. However, despite the rich diversity of ant species, only a fraction of this vast resource has been thoroughly examined in bioprospecting programs. Previous studies focusing on the venom of Central European ants (subfamily Myrmicinae) identified a number of short linear decapeptides and nonapeptides resembling antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Here, we describe the in silico approach and bioactivity profiling of 10 novel AMP-like peptides from the fellow Central European myrmicine ants Myrmica rubra and Myrmica ruginodis. Using the sequences of known ant venom peptides as queries, we screened the venom gland transcriptomes of both species. We found transcripts of nine novel decapeptides and one novel nonapeptide. The corresponding peptides were synthesized for bioactivity profiling in a broad panel of assays consisting of tests for cytotoxicity as well as antiviral, insecticidal, and antimicrobial activity. U-MYRTX-Mrug5a showed moderately potent antimicrobial effects against several bacteria, including clinically relevant pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus epidermidis, but high concentrations showed negligible cytotoxicity. U-MYRTX-Mrug5a is, therefore, a probable lead for the development of novel peptide-based antibiotics.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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