Number of the records: 1
Tribolium castaneum defensins are primarily active against Gram-positive bacteria
- 1.
SYSNO ASEP 0451350 Document Type J - Journal Article R&D Document Type Journal Article Subsidiary J Článek ve WOS Title Tribolium castaneum defensins are primarily active against Gram-positive bacteria Author(s) Tonk, M. (DE)
Knorr, E. (DE)
Cabezas-Cruz, A. (FR)
Valdés, James J. (BC-A) RID, ORCID
Kollewe, C. (DE)
Vilcinskas, A. (DE)Source Title Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. - : Elsevier - ISSN 0022-2011
Roč. 132, NOV 2015 (2015), s. 208-215Number of pages 8 s. Publication form Print - P Language eng - English Country US - United States Keywords Antimicrobial peptides ; Defensin ; Innate immunity ; Insects ; Tribolium castaneum ; Gram-positive bacteria Subject RIV EI - Biotechnology ; Bionics R&D Projects EE2.3.30.0032 GA MŠk - Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) Institutional support BC-A - RVO:60077344 UT WOS 000365630200023 DOI 10.1016/j.jip.2015.10.009 Annotation The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum is a destructive insect pest of stored food and feed products, and a model organism for development, evolutionary biology and immunity. The insect innate immune system includes antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with a wide spectrum of targets including viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. Defensins are an evolutionarily-conserved class of AMPs and a potential new source of antimicrobial agents. In this context, we report the antimicrobial activity, phylogenetic and structural properties of three T. castaneum defensins (Def1, Def2 and Def3) and their relevance in the immunity of T. castaneum against bacterial pathogens. All three recombinant defensins showed bactericidal activity against Micrococcus luteus and Bacillus thuringiensis serovar tolworthi, but only Def1 and Def2 showed a bacteriostatic effect against Staphylococcus epidermidis. None of the defensins showed activity against the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas entomophila or against the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. All three defensins were transcriptionally upregulated following a bacterial challenge, suggesting a key role in the immunity of T. castaneum against bacterial pathogens. Phylogenetic analysis showed that defensins from T. castaneum, mealworms, Udo longhorn beetle and houseflies cluster within a well-defined clade of insect defensins. We conclude that T. castaneum defensins are primarily active against Gram-positive bacteria and that other AMPs may play a more prominent role against Gram-negative species. Workplace Biology Centre (since 2006) Contact Dana Hypšová, eje@eje.cz, Tel.: 387 775 214 Year of Publishing 2016
Number of the records: 1