Xuesong Luo

Characterization of BmKbpp, a multifunctional peptide from the Chinese scorpion Mesobuthus martensii Karsch: Gaining insight into a new mechanism for the functional diversification of scorpion venom peptides

BmKbpp is a novel cationic and α-helical peptide from the Chinese scorpion Mesobuthus martensii Karsch, of which function or biological activity has not been characterized so far. Here we showed that BmKbpp possesses strong antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with a MIC range from 2.3 μM to 68.2 μM for the majority of tested bacteria. BmKbpp also inhibits the growth of tested fungi with an IC50 range from 0.2 μM to 3.1 μM. Because BmKbpp potently inhibits the growth of some antibiotics-resistant pathogens, and shows very weak hemolytic activity, it has considerable potentials for therapeutic applications. Moreover, we found that BmKbpp markedly inhibits the superoxide production in granulocytes or HL-60 cells at the concentrations of submicromolar level; this suggests that BmKbpp can act as a signaling molecule involving innate immune regulation at low concentrations. The C-terminal region of BmKbpp (BmKbpp-C) shows 72% similarity to the peptide K-12, a bradykinin-potentiating peptide. We found that both BmKbpp and BmKbpp-C possess bradykinin-potentiating activity, and the activity of BmKbpp-C is stronger than that of BmKbpp. PCR amplification for the genomic gene of BmBpp showed that it is not a continuous sequence in the genome; it suggests that BmKbpp could come from a recombination event in transcript level. Taken together, our data suggest that multi-functionalization of a single peptide, which is probably mediated by trans-splicing, could be a new mechanism for the functional diversification of scorpion venom peptides.

Three new antimicrobial peptides from the scorpion Pandinus imperator

Three novel cysteine-free venom peptides, which were referred to as Pantinin-1, Pantinin-2 and Pantinin-3, respectively, have been identified from the scorpion Pandinus imperator by cDNA cloning strategy. The precursor of each peptide consists of a signal peptide, a mature peptide with no disulfide bridges, and an acidic propeptide with a typical processing signal. Each of the three peptides is an α-helical, cationic and amphipathic molecule with 13 or 14 amino acid residues. Their amino acid sequences are homologous to those of some 13-mer antimicrobial peptides isolated from scorpions. Antimicrobial assay showed that all the three peptides possess relatively strong activities against Gram-positive bacteria and a fungus, but have very weak antimicrobial activities against Gram-negative bacteria. Toxicity assay showed that the three peptides exhibit very low or mild hemolytic activities against human red blood cells. It is interesting to see that Pantinin-3 is able to potently inhibit the growth of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) S13, a pathogen that can cause a number of human infections; this suggests that Pantinin-3 has great potential to be applied in the treatment of VRE infections. Our findings gain new insights into the structure/function relationships of the small linear cationic antimicrobial peptides from scorpions, and provide new templates for designing of antimicrobial agents targeting antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria.

Flavobacterium arsenatis sp. nov., a novel arsenic-resistant bacterium from high-arsenic sediment

A novel bacterial strain Z(T) was isolated from the high-arsenic sediment in Jianghan Plain, China. The strain was Gram-staining-negative, rod-shaped and formed yellow colonies. This bacterium is capable of tolerating arsenate and arsenite, with MICs of 40 mM and 20 mM, respectively. The strain also possesses catalase and does not produce oxidase. The nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA gene of the isolate showed the highest similarity (96.9%) to that of the type strain of Flavobacterium soli. On the basis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and the phenotypic properties of strain Z(T), it was assigned to the genus Flavobacterium. The major respiratory menaquinone was MK-6 and the predominant fatty acids were iso-C15:0, summed feature 3 (containing C16:1ω6c and/or C16:1ω7c) and iso-C15:1G. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, three uncharacterized aminophospholipids and four unidentified phospholipids. The DNA G+C content was 32.1 mol%. Based on the phenotypic and genotypic data presented in this article, it can be concluded that this isolate represents a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacterium arsenatis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Z(T) ( = CCTCC AB 2013048(T) = KCTC 32397(T)).

A novel class of antimicrobial peptides from the scorpion Heterometrus spinifer.

The venom peptides from the scorpion Heterometrus spinifer have been poorly characterized so far. Here, we identified a novel class of antimicrobial peptides from the venom gland of H. spinifer, which were referred to as HsAp, HsAp2, HsAp3 and HsAp4, respectively. Each of the four peptides consists of 29 amino acid residues, and is cationic and weakly amphipathic. They display no significant homology to any other known peptides, and thus represent a new family of venom peptides from scorpions. Antimicrobial assay showed that HsAp is able to inhibit the growth of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria with the MIC values of 11.8-51.2 μM. HsAp is also able to inhibit the growth of the tested fungus. Genomic analysis indicated that the genes of all the four peptides are intronless. Our studies expand the families of antimicrobial peptides from scorpions.

Pontibacter yuliensis sp. nov., isolated from soil.

A Gram-staining-negative, rod-shaped and pink bacterium was isolated from the soil of a Populus euphratica forest in the Taklamakan desert, Xinjiang, China. It was designated strain H9X(T). A 16S rRNA gene sequence homology search indicated that the isolate was most closely related to the family Cytophagaceae. The 16S rRNA gene of strain H9X(T) displayed 94.2-96.3 % sequence identities to those of type strains of other species of the genus Pontibacter. It only possessed menaquinone-7. The major cellular fatty acids of the novel isolate were iso-C15 : 0, C16 : 1ω5c summed feature 3 (containing C16 : 1ω6c and/or C16 : 1ω7c) and summed feature 4 (comprising anteiso-C17 : 1 B and/or iso-C17 : 1 I). The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, one unknown aminophospholipid, one unknown glycophospholipid and several unknown phospholipids. The DNA G+C content of this bacterium was 55.2 mol%. Based on the phenotypic and genotypic data presented, it can be concluded that this isolate represents a novel species of the genus Pontibacter, for which the name Pontibacter yuliensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is H9X(T) ( = CCTCC AB 2013047(T) = KCTC 32396(T)).

Mycetocola manganoxydans sp. nov., an actinobacterium isolated from the Taklamakan desert.

Two Gram-staining-positive, aerobic, non-sporulating bacteria forming short rods and cocci, designated MB1-7 and MB1-14(T), were isolated from the Taklamakan desert. The isolates could oxidize manganese (II) ions. The isolates shared 95.4-98.0% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with members of the genus Mycetocola. Although the isolates possessed chemotaxonomic properties similar to those of Mycetocola reblochoni, they were readily distinguished from this taxon by DNA-DNA relatedness and phenotypic characters. According to morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, as well as phylogenetic analysis and DNA-DNA relatedness, the two isolates represent a novel species of the genus Mycetocola, for which the name Mycetocola manganoxydans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MB1-14(T) ( = CCTCC AB 209002(T)  = KCTC 19753(T)).

Genomic and functional characterization of three new venom peptides from the scorpion Heterometrus spinifer

Three new cysteine-free venom peptides, which are referred to as Heterin-1, Heterin-2 and Spiniferin, respectively, were identified from the scorpion Heterometrus spinifer. Heterin-1, Heterin-2 and Spiniferin contain 43, 24 and 13 amino acid residues, respectively. Genomic analysis showed that the genomic organizations of the three peptides are consistent with those of the known Na(+), K(+) or Cl(-)-channel specific toxins from scorpions; this suggests that the genes of the cysteine-free and cysteine-rich peptides from scorpions were derived from a common ancestor. Antimicrobial assay demonstrated that Heterin-1 possesses potent activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Among the tested bacterial species, Heterin-1 is the most active against Bacillus megaterium and Micrococcus luteus with MICs of 4.0 μM and 4.0 μM, respectively. Heterin-2 is able to potently inhibit the growth of Gram-positive bacteria with MICs from 5.6 μM to 30.0 μM; however, it has weaker activities against the tested Gram-negative bacteria. It is interesting to see that deletion of the C-terminal random coiled tail (KKD) in Heterin-2 markedly changed the antimicrobial specificity and activity of the peptide. Spiniferin has very weak antimicrobial activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. We found that introducing three net charges into the polar face of Spiniferin significantly increased its antimicrobial activity against the majority of the tested bacteria; however, in some instances, net charge on the polar face is not important for the antimicrobial activity of the peptide. These studies have expanded our understanding of the diversity, evolution and structure/function relationships of the cysteine-free peptides from scorpions.

Molecular and bioinformatical characterization of a novel superfamily of cysteine-rich peptides from arthropods

The full-length cDNA sequences of two novel cysteine-rich peptides (referred to as HsVx1 and MmKTx1) were obtained from scorpions. The two peptides represent a novel class of cysteine-rich peptides with a unique cysteine pattern. The genomic sequence of HsVx1 is composed of three exons interrupted by two introns that are localized in the mature peptide encoding region and inserted in phase 1 and phase 2, respectively. Such a genomic organization markedly differs from those of other peptides from scorpions described previously. Genome-wide search for the orthologs of HsVx1 identified 59 novel cysteine-rich peptides from arthropods. These peptides share a consistent cysteine pattern with HsVx1. Genomic comparison revealed extensive intron length differences and intronic number and position polymorphisms among the genes of these peptides. Further analysis identified 30 cases of intron sliding, 1 case of intron gain and 22 cases of intron loss occurred with the genes of the HsVx1 and HsVx1-like peptides. It is interesting to see that three HsVx1-like peptides XP_001658928, XP_001658929 and XP_001658930 were derived from a single gene (XP gene): the former two were generated from alternative splicing; the third one was encoded by a DNA region in the reverse complementary strand of the third intron of the XP gene. These findings strongly suggest that the genes of these cysteine-rich peptides were evolved by intron sliding, intron gain/loss, gene recombination and alternative splicing events in response to selective forces without changing their cysteine pattern. The evolution of these genes is dominated by intron sliding and intron loss.

Genome-wide search and comparative genomic analysis of the trypsin inhibitor-like cysteine-rich domain-containing peptides

It was shown that peptides containing trypsin inhibitor-like cysteine-rich (TIL) domain are able to inhibit proteinase activities, and thus play important roles in various biological processes, such as immune response and anticoagulation. However, only a limited number of the TIL peptides have been identified and characterized so far; and little has been known about the evolutionary relationships of the genes encoding the TIL peptides. BmKAPi is a TIL domain-containing peptide that was identified from Mesobuthus martensii Karsch. Here, we conducted genome-wide searches for new peptides that are homologous to BmKAPi or possess a cysteine pattern similar to that of BmKAPi. As a result, we identified a total of 80 different TIL peptides from 34 species of arthropods. We found that these peptides can be classified into seven evolutionarily distinct groups. Furthermore, we cloned the genomic sequence of BmKAPi; the genomic sequences of the majority of other TIL peptides were also identified from the GenBank database using bioinformatical approaches. Through phylogenetic and comparative genomic analysis, we found 26 cases of intron gain events occurred in the genes of the TIL peptides; however, no instances of intron loss were observed. Moreover, we found that alternative splicing contributes to the diversification of the TIL peptides. It is interesting to see that four genes of the TIL domain-containing peptides overlap in a DNA region located on the chromosome LG B15 of Bombus terretris. These data suggest that the evolution of the TIL peptide genes are dynamic, which was dominated by intron gain.

Isolation and characterization of a radiation-resistant bacterium from Taklamakan Desert showing potent ability to accumulate Lead (II) and considerable potential for bioremediation of radioactive wastes

Radioactive wastes always contain radioactive substances and a lot of Pb compound and other heavy metals, which severely contaminate soils and groundwater. Thus, search for radiation-resistant microorganisms that are capable of sequestering Pb contaminants from the contaminated sites is urgently needed. However, very few such microorganisms have been found so far. In the present study, we discovered a novel Gram-negative bacterium from the arid Taklamakan desert, which can strongly resist both radiation and Pb2+. Phylogenetic and phenotypic analysis indicated that this bacterial strain is closely affiliated with Microvirga aerilata, and was thus referred to as Microvirga aerilata LM (=CCTCC AB 208311). We found that M. aerilata LM can effectively accumulate Pb and form intracellular precipitations. It also keeps similar ability to remove Pb2+ under radioactive stress. Our data suggest that M. aerilata LM may offer an effective and eco-friendly in situ approach to remove soluble Pb contaminants from radioactive wastes.