Bioprospecting the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) host defense peptidome.

ABSTRACT: Cationic antimicrobial peptides and their therapeutic potential have garnered growing interest because of the proliferation of bacterial resistance. However, the discovery of new antimicrobial peptides from animals has proven challenging due to the limitations associated with conventional biochemical purification and difficulties in predicting active peptides from genomic sequences, if known. As an example, no antimicrobial peptides have been identified from the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, although their serum is antimicrobial. We have developed a novel approach for the discovery of new antimicrobial peptides from these animals, one that capitalizes on their fundamental and conserved physico-chemical properties. This sample-agnostic process employs custom-made functiona

SUBMITTER: Bishop BM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4324634 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature