Antimicrobial Peptides from Fish

Overview

Journal Pharmaceuticals (Basel)

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Chemistry

Date 2014 Mar 6

PMID 24594555

Citations 94

Authors

Jorge A Masso-Silva

Gill Diamond

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are found widely distributed through Nature, and participate in the innate host defense of each species. Fish are a great source of these peptides, as they express all of the major classes of AMPs, including defensins, cathelicidins, hepcidins, histone-derived peptides, and a fish-specific class of the cecropin family, called piscidins. As with other species, the fish peptides exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, killing both fish and human pathogens. They are also immunomodulatory, and their genes are highly responsive to microbes and innate immuno-stimulatory molecules. Recent research has demonstrated that some of the unique properties of fish peptides, including their ability to act even in very high salt concentrations, make them good potential targets for development as therapeutic antimicrobials. Further, the stimulation of their gene expression by exogenous factors could be useful in preventing pathogenic microbes in aquaculture.

Citing Articles

Potential of Garra rufa as a novel high-temperature resistant model fish: a review on current and future approaches.

Shimada Y, Aydin B, Kon-Nanjo K, Handayani K, Gultom V, Simakov O Zoological Lett. 2025; 11(1):3.

PMID: 40016791 PMC: 11869722. DOI: 10.1186/s40851-025-00249-0.

Exploring Antibacterial Activity of Fish Protein Hydrolysate In Vitro Against Strains and Disease Resistance to in Turbot ().

Wei Y, Wang L, Li Y, Ma Q, Liang M, Xu H Aquac Nutr. 2025; 2025:3446155.

PMID: 39949355 PMC: 11824708. DOI: 10.1155/anu/3446155.

In Silico Identification of Antimicrobial Sequences of Rainbow Trout Brain Proteins in the Context of Aquaculture Waste Recycling.

Kochneva A, Kuritsin A, Murzina S Dokl Biol Sci. 2025; .

PMID: 39899237 DOI: 10.1134/S001249662460057X.

Antimicrobial peptides and proteins against drug-resistant pathogens.

Wang Y, Song M, Chang W Cell Surf. 2024; 12:100135.

PMID: 39687062 PMC: 11646788. DOI: 10.1016/j.tcsw.2024.100135.

Expression and Immune Response Profiles in Nile Tilapia () and European Sea Bass () During Pathogen Challenge and Infection.

Saleh A, Mohamed A, Elnesr S, Khafaga A, Elwan H, Abdel-Aziz M Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(23).

PMID: 39684540 PMC: 11641086. DOI: 10.3390/ijms252312829.

References

Nemeth E, Valore E, Territo M, Schiller G, Lichtenstein A, Ganz T . Hepcidin, a putative mediator of anemia of inflammation, is a type II acute-phase protein. Blood. 2002; 101(7):2461-3. DOI: 10.1182/blood-2002-10-3235. View

Wu S, Huang T, Lin C, Hui C, Lin C, Chen J . Pardaxin, a fish antimicrobial peptide, exhibits antitumor activity toward murine fibrosarcoma in vitro and in vivo. Mar Drugs. 2012; 10(8):1852-1872. PMC: 3447341. DOI: 10.3390/md10081852. View

Huang H, Rajanbabu V, Pan C, Chan Y, Wu C, Chen J . Use of the antimicrobial peptide Epinecidin-1 to protect against MRSA infection in mice with skin injuries. Biomaterials. 2013; 34(38):10319-27. DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2013.09.037. View

Cho Y, Lee S, Kim K, Kim S, Kim D, Nam Y . Gene structure and differential modulation of multiple rockbream (Oplegnathus fasciatus) hepcidin isoforms resulting from different biological stimulations. Dev Comp Immunol. 2008; 33(1):46-58. DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2008.07.009. View

Zhang J, Yan Q, Ji R, Zou W, Guo G . Isolation and characterization of a hepcidin peptide from the head kidney of large yellow croaker, Pseudosciaena crocea. Fish Shellfish Immunol. 2009; 26(6):864-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2009.03.014. View

Bulet P, Stocklin R, Menin L . Anti-microbial peptides: from invertebrates to vertebrates. Immunol Rev. 2004; 198:169-84. DOI: 10.1111/j.0105-2896.2004.0124.x. View

Douglas S, Patrzykat A, Pytyck J, Gallant J . Identification, structure and differential expression of novel pleurocidins clustered on the genome of the winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Walbaum). Eur J Biochem. 2003; 270(18):3720-30. DOI: 10.1046/j.1432-1033.2003.03758.x. View

Liu Y, Chang M, Wu S, Nie P . Characterization of C-C chemokine receptor subfamily in teleost fish. Mol Immunol. 2008; 46(3):498-504. DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2008.10.003. View

Scocchi M, Pallavicini A, Salgaro R, Bociek K, Gennaro R . The salmonid cathelicidins: a gene family with highly varied C-terminal antimicrobial domains. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 2009; 152(4):376-81. DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2009.01.003. View

10.

Shike H, Shimizu C, Lauth X, Burns J . Organization and expression analysis of the zebrafish hepcidin gene, an antimicrobial peptide gene conserved among vertebrates. Dev Comp Immunol. 2004; 28(7-8):747-54. DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2003.11.009. View

11.

Robinette D, Noga E . Histone-like protein: a novel method for measuring stress in fish. Dis Aquat Organ. 2001; 44(2):97-107. DOI: 10.3354/dao044097. View

12.

Silphaduang U, Noga E . Peptide antibiotics in mast cells of fish. Nature. 2001; 414(6861):268-9. DOI: 10.1038/35104690. View

13.

Costa M, Maehr T, Diaz-Rosales P, Secombes C, Wang T . Bioactivity studies of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) interleukin-6: effects on macrophage growth and antimicrobial peptide gene expression. Mol Immunol. 2011; 48(15-16):1903-16. DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2011.05.027. View

14.

Hocquellet A, Le Senechal C, Garbay B . Importance of the disulfide bridges in the antibacterial activity of human hepcidin. Peptides. 2012; 36(2):303-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2012.06.001. View

15.

Mai J, Tian X, Gallant J, Merkley N, Biswas Z, Syvitski R . A novel target-specific, salt-resistant antimicrobial peptide against the cariogenic pathogen Streptococcus mutans. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2011; 55(11):5205-13. PMC: 3194993. DOI: 10.1128/AAC.05175-11. View

16.

Tomita T, Hitomi S, Nagase T, Matsui H, Matsuse T, Kimura S . Effect of ions on antibacterial activity of human beta defensin 2. Microbiol Immunol. 2000; 44(9):749-54. DOI: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.2000.tb02559.x. View

17.

Ruangsri J, Fernandes J, Rombout J, Brinchmann M, Kiron V . Ubiquitous presence of piscidin-1 in Atlantic cod as evidenced by immunolocalisation. BMC Vet Res. 2012; 8:46. PMC: 3395576. DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-8-46. View

18.

Zou J, Mercier C, Koussounadis A, Secombes C . Discovery of multiple beta-defensin like homologues in teleost fish. Mol Immunol. 2006; 44(4):638-47. DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2006.01.012. View

19.

Padhi A, Verghese B . Evidence for positive Darwinian selection on the hepcidin gene of Perciform and Pleuronectiform fishes. Mol Divers. 2007; 11(3-4):119-30. DOI: 10.1007/s11030-007-9066-4. View

20.

Terova G, Cattaneo A, Preziosa E, Bernardini G, Saroglia M . Impact of acute stress on antimicrobial polypeptides mRNA copy number in several tissues of marine sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). BMC Immunol. 2011; 12:69. PMC: 3274460. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2172-12-69. View