The peptide secreted at the water to land transition in a model amphibian has antioxidant effects. Issue 1962 (10th November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Barbosa, Eder Alves; Plácido, Alexandra; Moreira, Daniel C.; Albuquerque, Lucas; Dematei, Anderson; Silva-Carvalho, Amandda É.; Cabral, Wanessa F.; Báo, Sonia N.; Saldanha-Araújo, Felipe; Kuckelhaus, Selma A. S.; Borges, Tatiana K.; Portugal, Camila C.; Socodato, Renato; Teixeira, Cátia; Lima, Filipe Camargo D. A.; Batagin-Neto, Augusto; Sebben, Antônio; Eaton, Peter; Gomes, Paula; Brand, Guilherme D.; Relvas, Joao B.; Kato, Massuo J.; Leite, Jose Roberto S. A.
• Is Part Of: Proceedings. Volume 288:Issue 1962(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-11-10
• Subjects: Amphibia -- antioxidant peptide -- MALDI mass spectrometry imaging -- oxidative stress -- Pithecopus azureus -- tryptophyllin; Biology -- Periodicals; 570.5
• DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1531
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0962-8452

Abstract

Abstract : In addition to the morphophysiological changes experienced by amphibians during metamorphosis, they must also deal with a different set of environmental constraints when they shift from the water to the land. We found that Pithecopus azureus secretes a single peptide ([M + H]+ = 658.38 Da) at the developmental stage that precedes the onset of terrestrial behaviour. De novo peptide and cDNA sequencing revealed that the peptide, named PaT-2, is expressed in tandem and is a member of the tryptophyllins family. In silico studies allowed us to identify the position of reactive sites and infer possible antioxidant mechanisms of the compounds. Cell-based assays confirmed the predicted antioxidant activity in mammalian microglia and neuroblast cells. The potential neuroprotective effect of PaT-2 was further corroborated in FRET-based live cell imaging assays, where the peptide prevented lipopolysaccharide-induced ROS production and glutamate release in human microglia. In summary, PaT-2 is the first peptide expressed during the ontogeny of P. azureus, right before the metamorphosing froglet leaves the aquatic environment to occupy terrestrial habitats. The antioxidant activity of PaT-2, predicted by in silico analyses and confirmed by cell-based assays, might be relevant for the protection of the skin of P. azureus adults against increased O2 levels and UV exposure on land compared with aquatic environments.