Rondonin an antifungal peptide from spider (<em>Acanthoscurria rondoniae</em>) haemolymph

K Riciluca

R Sayegh

R Melo

P Silva

^{Laboratório Especial de Toxinologia Aplicada, Instituto Butantan, 05503-900 São Paulo – SP, Brazil}

^{Coordenadoria de Controle de Doenças – CCD, São Paulo, Brazil}

P.I. Silva, Jr.: rb.psu@rjsip: rb.vog.natnatub@rjsip

^{Correspondence to: Laboratório Especial de Toxinologia Aplicada, CAT/CEPID, Instituto Butantan, Av: Vital Brasil, 1500 CEP, 05503-900 São Paulo – SP, Brazil. Tel./fax: +55 11 3726 1024.}rb.psu@rjsip, rb.vog.natnatub@rjsip

P.I. Silva, Jr.: rb.psu@rjsip: rb.vog.natnatub@rjsip

Received 2012 Jan 30; Revised 2012 Mar 20; Accepted 2012 Mar 22.

Abstract

Antimicrobial activities were detected in the haemolymph of the spider Acanthoscurrria rondoniae. A novel antifungal peptide, rondonin, was purified by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Rondonin has an amino acid sequence of IIIQYEGHKH and a molecular mass of 1236.776 Da. This peptide has identity to a C-terminal fragment of the “d” subunit of haemocyanin from the spiders Eurypelma californicum and Acanthoscurria gomesiana. A synthetic peptide mimicking rondonin had identical characteristics to those of the isolated material, confirming its sequence. The synthetic peptide was active only against fungus. These data led us to conclude that the antifungal activity detected in the plasma of these spiders is the result of enzymatic processing of a protein that delivers oxygen in the haemolymph of many chelicerate. Several studies have suggested that haemocyanins are involved in the arthropod immune system, and the activity of this haemocyanin fragment reinforces this idea.

Keywords: Antimicrobial peptide, Haemocyanin fragment, Rondonin, Acanthoscurria rondoniae, Spider

Abstract

The highest concentration tested was 67 μM. ND, activity not detected in the range of concentration tested; NA, activity not available.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr. Mirian A.F. Hayashi (Dept. Farmacology/UNIFESP) for providing the clinical strains. We also appreciate the financial support of Fapesp (CAT/Cepid Project 98-14307-9), Capes and Cnpq.

Acknowledgements

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