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β-Defensin from the Asian Sea Bass, Lates calcarifer: Molecular Prediction and Phylogenetic Analysis

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Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an important element of the innate immune system of all living organisms and serve as a barrier that safeguards the organisms against a wide range of pathogens. Fishes are proven to be a prospective source of AMPs, and β-defensins form an important family of AMPs with potent antimicrobial, chemotactic and immunomodulatory activities. The present study reports a β-defensin AMP sequence (Lc-BD) from the Asian sea bass, Lates calcarifer, a commercially important fish species in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and the Pacific. A 202-bp cDNA fragment with an open reading frame encoding 63 amino acids (aa) was obtained from the mRNA of gill tissue by RT-PCR. The deduced aa sequence of Lc-BD possessed a signal and a mature peptide region with 20 and 43 aa residues, respectively. Lc-BD was characterized at the molecular level, and a molecular weight of 5.24 kDa and a net charge of +4.5 was predicted for the mature peptide. The molecular characterization of Lc-BD revealed the presence of three intramolecular disulphide bonds involving the six conserved cysteine residues in the sequence, and the phylogenetic analysis of Lc-BD showed a close relationship with β-defensins from fishes like Siniperca chuatsi, Argyrosomus regius, Trachinotus ovatus and Oplegnathus fasciatus.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Cochin University of Science and Technology for the research grant (No. PL.(UGC)1/SPG/SMNRI/2017-18) and facilities provided and all the persons for their assistance and valuable contributions.

Funding

The study was funded by the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Research Grant No.PL.(UGC)1/SPG/SMNRI/2017-18).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry, School of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-16, 682 016, Kerala, India

    Athira Raveendran, Dhanya Lenin K. L., Anju M.V., Neelima S., Anooja V.V., Athira P. P., Archana K., Rosamma Philip & Swapna P. Antony

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  1. Athira Raveendran
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  2. Dhanya Lenin K. L.
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Contributions

Athira Raveendran: Investigation, writing the original draft. Dhanya Lenin K. L.: Investigation, writing. Anju M.V, Neelima S., Anooja V.V, Athira P. P., Archana K.: Investigation. Rosamma Philip and Swapna P. Antony: Supervision, review, and editing.

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Correspondence to Swapna P. Antony.

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Research Involving Human and Animal Participants

The care and treatment of animals used in this study were in accordance with the guidelines of the CPCSEA [(Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals), Ministry of Environment and Forests (Animal Welfare Division), Govt of India] on care and use of animals in scientific research.

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Raveendran, A., L., D.L.K., M.V., A. et al. β-Defensin from the Asian Sea Bass, Lates calcarifer: Molecular Prediction and Phylogenetic Analysis. Probiotics & Antimicro. Prot. 13, 1798–1807 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-021-09804-5

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