1ut3

Solution Structure of Spheniscin-2, a beta-Defensin from Penguin Stomach Preserving Food

spinqualitylabelsall models 1ut3 Show:Asymmetric Unit Biological Assembly Drag the structure with the mouse to rotate   Export Animated Image   Print3D Structural highlights 1ut3 is a 1 chain structure with sequence from Aptenodytes patagonicus. Full experimental information is available from OCA. For a guided tour on the structure components use FirstGlance. Method: Solution NMR Resources: FirstGlance, OCA, PDBe, RCSB, PDBsum, ProSAT Function SPHE2_APTPA Has antifungal activity and antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Involved in the process of food preservation in the stomach during the incubation fast. May also be present during infection. Publication Abstract from PubMed Recently two beta-defensins, named spheniscins, have been isolated from the stomach content of the king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus), which is capable of preserving food for several weeks during egg incubation (Thouzeau, C., Le Maho, Y., Froget, G., Sabatier, L., Le Bohec, C., Hoffmann, J. A., and Bulet, P. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 51053-51058). It has been proposed that, in combination with other antimicrobial peptides, spheniscins may be involved in this long term preservation of food in the bird's stomach. To draw some structure/function features, the three-dimensional structure in aqueous solution of the most abundant spheniscin (Sphe-2) was determined by two-dimensional NMR and molecular modeling techniques. The overall fold of Sphe-2 includes a three-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet stabilized by three disulfide bridges with a pairing typical of beta-defensins. In addition, the N-terminal segment shows helical features on most structures. Sphe-2 is highly cationic, and its surface displays a hydrophobic patch. Comparative modeling revealed that this patch is preserved in avian defensins. The activity of Sphe-2 against a pathogenic Gram-positive strain was retained in vitro in the conditions of osmolarity found in penguin stomach content and also in different salt concentrations and compositions up to those reported for seawater. Comparison with structurally related mammalian beta-defensins showed that the hydrophobic patch is not preserved in mammalian beta-defensins and that the high cationicity of Sphe-2 is presumably the critical factor for its retained activity in high salt concentrations. Such peculiarities, in addition to a broad activity spectrum, suggest that penguin defensins may represent interesting probes for the design of highly efficient antibiotics to fight off pathogens that develop in relatively salt-rich body fluids. Solution structure of spheniscin, a beta-defensin from the penguin stomach.,Landon C, Thouzeau C, Labbe H, Bulet P, Vovelle F J Biol Chem. 2004 Jul 16;279(29):30433-9. Epub 2004 Apr 30. PMID:15123713 From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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