The discovery and functional study of a bioactive peptide QUB-1418 from the defensive skin secretion of the Wuyi torrent frog (Amolops wuyiensis)
In the case of the increasingly serious situation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), scientists have been studying antibacterial peptides (AMPs), which have great potential to be a substitute for antibiotics. In this study, the cDNA sequence encoding a bioactive peptide named QUB-1418, and it has been identified in the skin secretions of Amolops wuyiensis. The peptide was synthesised using Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis technology. After the purification of the synthetic replicate of QUB-1418 by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and QUB-1418 is authenticated by matrix-assisted, laser desorption, ionisation, time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, QUB-1418 was subjected to functional tests and it was found to have potent antibacterial activity against S. aureus(MIC= 4 μM; MBC= 8 μM), E. coli(MIC= 64 μM; MBC= 256 μM), and C. albicans(MIC= 64 μM; MBC= 64 μM). Additionally, it has no haemolysis at antimicrobial concentrations. The selective antibacterial activities observed would indicate the QUB-1418 might deserve further exploration. It is expected that this study would contribute to the finding of AMPs and the design of novel antibiotics.
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