Penaeidins, a family of antimicrobial peptides from penaeid shrimp (Crustacea, Decapoda)

• Published in: Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS Vol. 57; no. 8-9; pp. 1260 - 1271
• Main Authors: Destoumieux, D, Munoz, M, Bulet, P, Bachère, E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Springer Nature B.V 01-08-2000; Springer Verlag; Birkhäuser Verlag
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents - isolation & purification; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Arthropoda; Bacillus megaterium - drug effects; Crustaceans; Decapoda; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Immune response; Immune system; Immunology; Life Sciences; Litopenaeus vannamei; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Peptides; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Proteins - chemistry; Proteins - genetics; Proteins - pharmacology; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
• ISSN: 1420-682X; 1420-9071
• DOI: 10.1007/pl00000764

The production of antimicrobial peptides represents a first-line host defense mechanism of innate immunity that is widespread in nature. Only recently such effectors were isolated in crustacean species, whereas numerous antimicrobial peptides have been characterized from other arthropods, both insects and chelicerates. This review presents findings on a family of antimicrobial peptides, named penaeidins, isolated from the shrimp Penaeus vannamei. Their structure and antimicrobial properties as well as their immune function will be discussed through analyses of penaeidin gene expression and peptide distribution upon microbial challenge.