In vitro anti-tumor activity of 4 predicted cathelicidins from different species

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been used by animals for millions of years. However, AMPs lack any specific consensus amino-acid sequences that are associated with biological activity, although most of them maintain certain common features, such as containing positive charge and relatively hydrophobic and amphipathic structure. With the increasing number of genomes sequenced and available in the public domain, one alternative methodology to obtain novel AMPs is to analyze genes and proteins from genomic databases to predict and identify amino acid sequences that share similarities and molecular features with natural bioactive peptides. We derived and synthetized 4 novel cathelicidins from the genome mining of avian, mammals and reptiles species (Trichechus manatus, Melopsittacus mudulatus, Chrysemys picta bellii and Alligator mississipiensis). The anticancer activity (GI50 and TGI parameters) of these cathelicidins was tested against a panel of six cell lines from human tumours [1]. The peptide CpRR33 from Chrysemys picta bellii gave the lowest TGI value (against the SW1573 cell line) and also the best combined result in the determination of GI50.