A transcriptomic analysis of gene expression in the venom gland of the snake Bothrops alternatus (urutu)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The genus <it>Bothrops </it>is widespread throughout Central and South America and is the principal cause of snakebite in these regions. Transcriptomic and proteomic studies have examined the venom composition of several species in this genus, but many others remain to be studied. In this work, we used a transcriptomic approach to examine the venom gland genes of <it>Bothrops alternatus</it>, a clinically important species found in southeastern and southern Brazil, Uruguay, northern Argentina and eastern Paraguay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A cDNA library of 5,350 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) was produced and assembled into 838 contigs and 4512 singletons. BLAST searches of relevant databases showed 30% hits and 70% no-hits, with toxin-related transcripts accounting for 23% and 78% of the total transcripts and hits, respectively. Gene ontology analysis identified non-toxin genes related to general metabolism, transcription and translation, processing and sorting, (polypeptide) degradation, structural functions and cell regulation. The major groups of toxin transcripts identified were metalloproteinases (81%), bradykinin-potentiating peptides/C-type natriuretic peptides (8.8%), phospholipases A₂(5.6%), serine proteinases (1.9%) and C-type lectins (1.5%). Metalloproteinases were almost exclusively type PIII proteins, with few type PII and no type PI proteins. Phospholipases A₂were essentially acidic; no basic PLA₂were detected. Minor toxin transcripts were related to L-amino acid oxidase, cysteine-rich secretory proteins, dipeptidylpeptidase IV, hyaluronidase, three-finger toxins and ohanin. Two non-toxic proteins, thioredoxin and double-specificity phosphatase Dusp6, showed high sequence identity to similar proteins from other snakes. In addition to the above features, single-nucleotide polymorphisms, microsatellites, transposable elements and inverted repeats that could contribute to toxin diversity were observed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>Bothrops alternatus </it>venom gland contains the major toxin classes described for other <it>Bothrops </it>venoms based on trancriptomic and proteomic studies. The predominance of type PIII metalloproteinases agrees with the well-known hemorrhagic activity of this venom, whereas the lower content of serine proteases and C-type lectins could contribute to less marked coagulopathy following envenoming by this species. The lack of basic PLA₂agrees with the lower myotoxicity of this venom compared to other <it>Bothrops </it>species with these toxins. Together, these results contribute to our understanding of the physiopathology of envenoming by this species.</p

Dimerization of aurein 1.2: Effects in structure, antimicrobial activity and aggregation of Cândida albicans cells

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a promising solution to face the antibiotic-resistant problem because they display little or no resistance effects. Dimeric analogues of select AMPs have shown pharmacotechnical advantages, making these molecules promising candidates for the development of novel antibiotic agents. Here, we evaluate the effects of dimerization on the structure and biological activity of the AMP aurein 1.2 (AU). AU and the C- and N-terminal dimers, (AU)2K and E(AU)2, respectively, were synthesized by solid-phase peptide synthesis. Circular dichroism spectra indicated that E(AU)2 has a coiled coil structure in water while (AU)2K has an α-helix structure. In contrast, AU displayed typical spectra for disordered structures. In LPC micelles, all peptides acquired a high amount of α-helix structure. Hemolytic and vesicle permeabilization assays showed that AU has a concentration dependence activity, while this effect was less pronounced for dimeric versions, suggesting that dimerization may change the mechanism of action of AU. Notably, the antimicrobial activity against bacteria and yeast decreased with dimerization. However, dimeric peptides promoted the aggregation of C. albicans. The ability to aggregate yeast cells makes dimeric versions of AU attractive candidates to inhibit the adhesion of C. albicans to biological targets and medical devices, preventing disease caused by this fungus. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Wien

Effects of Dimerization on the Structure and Biological Activity of Antimicrobial Peptide Ctx-Ha

It is well known that cationic antimicrobial peptides (cAMPs) are potential microbicidal agents for the increasing problem of antimicrobial resistance. However, the physicochemical properties of each peptide need to be optimized for clinical use. To evaluate the effects of dimerization on the structure and biological activity of the antimicrobial peptide Ctx-Ha, we have synthesized the monomeric and three dimeric (Lys-branched) forms of the Ctx-Ha peptide by solid-phase peptide synthesis using a combination of 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc) and t-butoxycarbonyl (Boc) chemical approaches. The antimicrobial activity assay showed that dimerization decreases the ability of the peptide to inhibit growth of bacteria or fungi; however, the dimeric analogs displayed a higher level of bactericidal activity. In addition, a dramatic increase (50 times) in hemolytic activity was achieved with these analogs. Permeabilization studies showed that the rate of carboxyfluorescein release was higher for the dimeric peptides than for the monomeric peptide, especially in vesicles that contained sphingomyelin. Despite different biological activities, the secondary structure and pore diameter were not significantly altered by dimerization. In contrast to the case for other dimeric cAMPs, we have shown that dimerization selectively decreases the antimicrobial activity of this peptide and increases the hemolytic activity. The results also show that the interaction between dimeric peptides and the cell wall could be responsible for the decrease of the antimicrobial activity of these peptides.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Brazilian Medicinal Plant Acts on Prostaglandin Level and Helicobacter pylori

Among the current treatment strategies for the peptic ulcer patient with Helicobacter pylori infection, the method of choice is triple therapy based on the concurrent use of proton inhibitors and two antibiotics. Alchornea triplinervia is a medicinal plant commonly used by people living in the Cerrado region of Brazil to treat gastrointestinal ulcers. In the present work we proposed therapy based on this medicinal plant that presents effective gastroprotective action with antibiotic effects. Oral pretreatment with methanolic extract (ME) of A. triplinervia in rats and mice decreased the gastric injuries induced by ethanol and HCl/ethanol. Increasing the dose reduced the gastroprotective effects of ME on the gastric lesions induced by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. After pylorus ligature of mice, oral administration of ME induced a decrease not only in total acid but also in the ulcer index. We also observed that ME displayed antibacterial activity against H. pylori. Liquid-liquid separation of ME indicated that active constituents responsible for the gastroprotective action are concentrated in the ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) (50% protection) rather than in the aqueous fraction, which did not induce significant gastroprotection at the same dose (100 mg/kg). EAF induced an increase of gastric mucosa prostaglandin (PG) E(2) levels, which remained high even after previous administration of indomethacin. The phytochemical profile of ME revealed that EAF contains mainly flavonoids. In conclusion, all these results suggest that ME did not show acute toxicity, but exhibited an antisecretory property, anti-H. pylori effect, and gastroprotective action. The observed effect did not involve the participation of nitric oxide or endogenous sulfhydryl groups. However, EAF showed a more efficient gastroprotective effect than ME at a lower dose and protected the gastric mucosa by increasing PGE(2).Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq