Clavanins, α‐helical antimicrobial peptides from tunicate hemocytes
- 3 January 1997
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in FEBS Letters
- Vol. 400 (2) , 158-162
- https://doi.org/10.1016/s0014-5793(96)01374-9
Abstract
Hemocytes from the invertebrate Styela clava, a solitary tunicate, contained a family of four α‐helical antimicrobial peptides that were purified, sequenced and named clavanins A, B, C and D. Each clavanin contained 23 amino acid residues and was C‐terminally amidated. The tunicate peptides resembled magainins in size, primary sequence and antibacterial activity. Synthetic clavanin A was prepared and displayed comparable antimicrobial activity to magainins and cecropins. The presence of α‐helical antimicrobial peptides in the hemocytes of a urochordate suggests that such peptides are primeval effectors of innate immunity in the vertebrate lineage.Keywords
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