Defensins as a promising class of tick antimicrobial peptides: a scoping review

Wu, Jiahui; Zhou, Xia; Chen, Qiaoqiao; Chen, Zhiqiang; Zhang, Jinyu; Yang, Lele; Sun, Yuxuan; Wang, Guohui; Dai, Jianfeng; Feng, Tingting

doi:10.1186/s40249-022-00996-8

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…Therefore, fungal-derived defensins are known as defensin-like peptides based on their high sequence and structural similarities. Although fungal AMPs are similar in their structure and peptide sequences, their activities against Gram-positive and/or Gram-negative bacteria and/or fungi differ [ 21 ].…”

Section: Sources and Structure Of Antimicrobial Peptidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antimicrobial Proteins: Structure, Molecular Action, and Therapeutic Potential

et al. 2022

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Second- and third-line treatments of patients with antibiotic-resistant infections can have serious side effects, such as organ failure with prolonged care and recovery. As clinical practices such as cancer therapies, chronic disease treatment, and organ transplantation rely on the ability of available antibiotics to fight infection, the increased resistance of microbial pathogens presents a multifaceted, serious public health concern worldwide. The pipeline of traditional antibiotics is exhausted and unable to overcome the continuously developing multi-drug resistance. To that end, the widely observed limitation of clinically utilized antibiotics has prompted researchers to find a clinically relevant alternate antimicrobial strategy. In recent decades, the discovery of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as an excellent candidate to overcome antibiotic resistance has received further attention, particularly from scientists, health professionals, and the pharmaceutical industry. Effective AMPs are characterized by a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities, high pathogen specificity, and low toxicity. In addition to their antimicrobial activity, AMPs have been found to be involved in a variety of biological functions, including immune regulation, angiogenesis, wound healing, and antitumor activity. This review provides a current overview of the structure, molecular action, and therapeutic potential of AMPs.

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Section: Sources and Structure Of Antimicrobial Peptidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antimicrobial Proteins: Structure, Molecular Action, and Therapeutic Potential

et al. 2022

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“…Defensins are small cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are part of the innate immune system in both hard and soft tick species (Kopácek et al 2010; Wu et al 2022). A characteristic feature of these secreted effector molecules is their small molecular size of about 4 kDa and the conserved pattern of six cysteine residues forming three intrachain disulfide bridges (Wang & Zhu 2011).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Defensins are small cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are part of the innate immune system in both hard and soft tick species (Kopácek et al 2010;Wu et al 2022).…”

Section: Defensinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome sequences of fourIxodesspecies expands understanding of tick evolution

de Araujo,

Noël,

Bretaudeau

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Ticks, hematophagous acari, pose a significant threat by transmitting various pathogens to their vertebrate hosts during feeding. Despite advances in tick genomics, high-quality genomes were lacking until recently, particularly in the genusIxodes, which includes the main vectors of Lyme disease. Here, we present the complete genome sequences of four tick species, derived from a single female individual, with a particular focus on the European speciesIxodes ricinus, achieving a chromosome-level assembly. Additionally, draft assemblies were generated for the three otherIxodesspecies,I. persulcatus, I. pacificusandI. hexagonus. The quality of the four genomes and extensive annotation of several important gene families have allowed us to study the evolution of gene repertoires at the level of the genusIxodesand of the tick group. We have determined gene families that have undergone major amplifications during the evolution of ticks, while an expression atlas obtained forI. ricinusreveals striking patterns of specialization both between and within gene families. Notably, several gene family amplifications are associated with a proliferation of single-exon genes. The integration of our data with existing genomes establishes a solid framework for the study of gene evolution, improving our understanding of tick biology. In addition, our work lays the foundations for applied research and innovative control targeting these organisms.

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“…Human alpha-defensins are located on chromosome 8 [ 6 ]. Structurally, they are a family of small peptides (less than 10 kDa) [ 10 ]. Alpha-defensins are first-line defense peptides of the innate immunity [ 8 , 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human Neutrophil Alpha-Defensins Promote NETosis and Liver Injury in Alcohol-Related Liver Cirrhosis: Potential Therapeutic Agents

Rycyk-Bojarzyńska,

Kasztelan-Szczerbińska,

Cichoż-Lach

et al. 2024

JCM

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Background: Neutrophils are thought to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases, such as hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, etc. Activated human neutrophils release human neutrophil peptides (HNP1-3) or alpha-defensins that are antimicrobial peptides in azurophil granules. Furthermore, HNP1-3 build a scaffold of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and promote the process of programmed cell death called NETosis. Our study aimed to investigate the role of alpha-defensins in the pathogenesis of alcohol-related liver cirrhosis (ALC). Methods: The concentrations of alpha-defensins in the plasma of 62 patients with ALC and 24 healthy subjects were measured by ELISA. The patients with ALC were prospectively recruited based on the severity of liver dysfunction according to the Child-Pugh and Model of End-Stage Liver Disease-Natrium (MELD-Na) scores, modified Maddrey’s Discriminant Function (mDF), and the presence of ALC complications. Results: The concentrations of alpha-defensins in plasma were significantly higher in the ALC patients than in the controls. The plasma levels of HNP1-3 correlated with the MELD and mDF scores. ALC subgroups with MELD > 20 and mDF > 32 displayed significantly higher HNP1-3 concentrations. The plasma levels of HNP1-3 revealed a good predictive AUC for hepatic encephalopathy and ascites development (0.81 and 0.74, respectively) and for patient survival (0.87) in those over 40 years of age. Conclusion: These findings suggest that alpha-defensins play an important role in the assessment of ALC.

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Defensins as a promising class of tick antimicrobial peptides: a scoping review

Cited by 17 publications

References 94 publications

Antimicrobial Proteins: Structure, Molecular Action, and Therapeutic Potential

Antimicrobial Proteins: Structure, Molecular Action, and Therapeutic Potential

Genome sequences of fourIxodesspecies expands understanding of tick evolution

Human Neutrophil Alpha-Defensins Promote NETosis and Liver Injury in Alcohol-Related Liver Cirrhosis: Potential Therapeutic Agents

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