The peptide secreted at the water to land transition in a model amphibian has antioxidant effects

Author(s):Show less -

Barbosa, Eder Alves ^{[1, 2]} ; Placido, Alexandra ^{[3, 4]} ; Moreira, Daniel C. ^[5] ; Albuquerque, Lucas ^[6] ; Dematei, Anderson ^{[5, 7]} ; Silva-Carvalho, Amandda E. ^[8] ; Cabral, Wanessa F. ^[5] ; Bao, Sonia N. ^[9] ; Saldanha-Araujo, Felipe ^[8] ; Kuckelhaus, Selma A. S. ^[5] ; Borges, Tatiana K. ^[6] ; Portugal, Camila C. ^{[10, 11]} ; Socodato, Renato ^{[10, 11]} ; Teixeira, Catia ^[3] ; Lima, Filipe Camargo D. A. ^[12] ; Batagin-Neto, Augusto ^[13] ; Sebben, Antonio ^[14] ; Eaton, Peter ^{[3, 15]} ; Gomes, Paula ^[3] ; Brand, Guilherme D. ^[2] ; Relvas, Joao B. ^{[10, 11]} ; Kato, Massuo J. ^[16] ; Leite, Jose Roberto S. A. ^{[5, 4]}

Affiliation:Show less -

^[1] EMBRAPA Recursos Genet & Biotecnol, Lab Espectrometria Massa, Brasilia, DF - Brazil

^[2] Univ Brasilia, Inst Quim, Lab Sintese & Anal Biomol, Brasilia, DF - Brazil

^[3] Univ Porto, Fac Ciencias, Dept Quim & Bioquim, LAQV REQUIMTE, Porto - Portugal

^[4] Bioprospectum Lda, UPTEC, Porto - Portugal

^[5] Univ Brasilia, Nucleo Pesquisa Morfol & Imunol Aplicada NuPMIA, Fac Med, Brasilia, DF - Brazil

^[6] Univ Brasilia, Lab Imunol Celular, Fac Med, NuPMIA, Brasilia, DF - Brazil

^[7] Univ Brasilia, Fac Med, Nucleo Med Trop, Programa Posgrad Med Trop, Brasilia, DF - Brazil

^[8] Univ Brasilia, Fac Ciencias Saude, Lab Hematol & Celulas Tronco, Brasilia, DF - Brazil

^[9] Univ Brasilia, Lab Microscopia & Microanal, Inst Ciencias Biol, Brasilia, DF - Brazil

^[10] Univ Porto, Inst Biol Mol & Celular, Porto - Portugal

^[11] Univ Porto, Glial Cell Biol Lab, Inst Invest & Inovacao Saude, Porto - Portugal

^[12] Inst Fed Educ Ciencia & Tecnol Sao Paulo, Matao - Brazil

^[13] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Campus Itapeva, Itapeva - Brazil

^[14] Univ Brasilia, Inst Ciencias Biol, Brasilia, DF - Brazil

^[15] Univ Lincoln, Joseph Banks Labs, Sch Chem, The Bridge, Lincoln - England

^[16] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Quim, Dept Quim Fundamental, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; v. 288, n. 1962 NOV 10 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

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 O-2 levels and UV exposure on land compared with aquatic environments. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/07999-7 - VIDA-FROG: valorization of molecules isolated from aquatic Portuguese amphibians
• Grantee: Massuo Jorge Kato
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants