Genome Mining and Structural Study of Cathelicidins Across Chiroptera Species.

ABSTRACT: The authors explored the genomic landscape of bat cathelicidins, critical proteins in the vertebrate innate immune system, across 41 bat species, which are notable for their high microbial tolerance. An array of bioinformatics tools, complemented by manual mining, were used to identify the curated cathelicidin sequences. Particular attention was given to the fourth exon, which is responsible for generating the biologically active peptide. This comprehensive exploration led to the identification of 72 annotated complete cathelicidins, with 44 being newly discovered. These 72 complete cathelicidin sequences, along with 7 incomplete and 4 nonfunctional sequences, result in a total of 78 peptides, 53 of which were previously unknown. These bat cathelicidins are characterized by a cathelicidin

SUBMITTER: Lopez MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12483743 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature