Autor(es):
Barbosa, Eder Alves ; Plácido, Alexandra ; Moreira, Daniel C. ; Albuquerque, Lucas ; Dematei, Anderson ; Carvalho, Amandda É. Silva ; Cabral, Wanessa F. ; Báo, Sônia Nair ; Araújo, Felipe Saldanha ; 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, João B. ; Kato, Massuo J. ; Leite, José Roberto de Souza Almeida
Data: 2022
Origem: Oasisbr
Assunto(s): Anfíbio; Triptofilinas; Peptídeos; Espectrometria de massa; Stress oxidativo
Descrição
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.
