An Evaluation of Immersive and Handling Methods for Collecting Salamander Skin Peptides

Pereira, Kenzie E.; Cava, Kacie A.; Woodley, Sarah K.

doi:10.1670/20-122

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…For these reasons, captivity probably had a negligible effect on baseline CORT levels. We were also very careful not to disturb newts during the process of administering treatments, and it takes persistent and intense handling before newts exhibit any sort of behavioural or CORT response [41] (K. E. Pereira 2018, unpublished data).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To measure elevated CORT levels, newts were placed individually in a plastic bag containing 3–5 ml of sterilized nanopure water, vigorously handled for 15 min and allowed an additional 15 min to mount a physiological stress response (total time after capture = 30 min) before collecting trunk blood. Vigorous handling involved a combination of firmly massaging the body of a single newt and shaking the plastic bag continuously, as described by Pereira, Cava [41]. Blood samples were collected for all newts between 11.00 and 16.00 h in heparinized capillary tubes (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) and stored on ice.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of exogenous elevation of corticosterone on immunity and the skin microbiome of eastern newts ( Notophthalmus viridescens )

Pereira

Bletz

McCartney

et al. 2023

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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The amphibian chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans ( Bsal ) threatens salamander biodiversity. The factors underlying Bsal susceptibility may include glucocorticoid hormones (GCs). The effects of GCs on immunity and disease susceptibility are well studied in mammals, but less is known in other groups, including salamanders. We used Notophthalmus viridescens (eastern newts) to test the hypothesis that GCs modulate salamander immunity. We first determined the dose required to elevate corticosterone (CORT; primary GC in amphibians) to physiologically relevant levels. We then measured immunity (neutrophil lymphocyte ratios, plasma bacterial killing ability (BKA), skin microbiome, splenocytes, melanomacrophage centres (MMCs)) and overall health in newts following treatment with CORT or an oil vehicle control. Treatments were repeated for a short (two treatments over 5 days) or long (18 treatments over 26 days) time period. Contrary to our predictions, most immune and health parameters were similar for CORT and oil-treated newts. Surprisingly, differences in BKA, skin microbiome and MMCs were observed between newts subjected to short- and long-term treatments, regardless of treatment type (CORT, oil vehicle). Taken together, CORT does not appear to be a major factor contributing to immunity in eastern newts, although more studies examining additional immune factors are necessary. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Amphibian immunity: stress, disease and ecoimmunology’.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of exogenous elevation of corticosterone on immunity and the skin microbiome of eastern newts ( Notophthalmus viridescens )

Pereira

Bletz

McCartney

et al. 2023

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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In Vitro Investigation of the Antibacterial Activity of Salamander Skin Peptides

Pereira,

Deslouches,

Deslouches

et al. 2023

Curr Microbiol

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Insights into caudate amphibian skin secretions with a focus on the chemistry and bioactivity of derived peptides

Kröner,

Lötters,

Hopp

2024

Biological Chemistry

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Amphibians are well-known for their ability to produce and secrete a mixture of bioactive substances in specialized skin glands for the purpose of antibiotic self-protection and defense against predators. Some of these secretions contain various small molecules, such as the highly toxic batrachotoxin, tetrodotoxin, and samandarine. For some time, the presence of peptides in amphibian skin secretions has attracted researchers, consisting of a diverse collection of – to the current state of knowledge – three to 104 amino acid long sequences. From these more than 2000 peptides many are known to exert antimicrobial effects. In addition, there are some reports on amphibian skin peptides that can promote wound healing, regulate immunoreactions, and may serve as antiparasitic and antioxidative substances. So far, the focus has mainly been on skin peptides from frogs and toads (Anura), eclipsing the research on skin peptides of the ca. 700 salamanders and newts (Caudata). Just recently, several novel observations dealing with caudate peptides and their structure-function relationships were reported. This review focuses on the chemistry and bioactivity of caudate amphibian skin peptides and their potential as novel agents for clinical applications.

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An Evaluation of Immersive and Handling Methods for Collecting Salamander Skin Peptides

Cited by 3 publications

References 46 publications

Effects of exogenous elevation of corticosterone on immunity and the skin microbiome of eastern newts ( Notophthalmus viridescens )

Effects of exogenous elevation of corticosterone on immunity and the skin microbiome of eastern newts ( Notophthalmus viridescens )

In Vitro Investigation of the Antibacterial Activity of Salamander Skin Peptides

Insights into caudate amphibian skin secretions with a focus on the chemistry and bioactivity of derived peptides

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