Tracheal Antimicrobial Peptide Research Articles

5202420 Tracheal antimicrobial peptides, DNA sequences and methods for the production and use thereof: Michael A Zasloff, Charles L Bevins, Gill Diamond, Drongen, assigned to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

5202420 Tracheal antimicrobial peptides, DNA sequences and methods for the production and use thereof: Michael A Zasloff, Charles L Bevins, Gill Diamond, Drongen, assigned to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Airway epithelial cells are the site of expression of a mammalian antimicrobial peptide gene.

We previously reported the isolation and characterization of a broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptide from the bovine tracheal mucosa, which we called tracheal antimicrobial peptide (TAP). We now show the TAP gene is expressed throughout the adult conducting airway, from nasal to bronchiolar tissue, but not in tissues other than airway mucosa, as determined by Northern blot analysis. In situ hybridization of airway sections localizes TAP mRNA to columnar cells of the pseudostratified epithelium. We report the structural organization of the TAP gene and show that TAP is a member of a large family of related sequences with high nucleotide identity in the 5' exon. The data support the hypothesis that antimicrobial peptides contribute to host defense of the respiratory tract.

Tracheal antimicrobial peptide, a cysteine-rich peptide from mammalian tracheal mucosa: peptide isolation and cloning of a cDNA.

Extracts of the bovine tracheal mucosa have an abundant peptide with potent antimicrobial activity. The 38-amino acid peptide, which we have named tracheal antimicrobial peptide (TAP), was isolated by a sequential use of size-exclusion, ion-exchange, and reverse-phase chromatographic fractionations using antimicrobial activity as a functional assay. The yield was approximately 2 micrograms/g of wet mucosa. The complete peptide sequence was determined by a combination of peptide and cDNA analysis. The amino acid sequence of TAP is H-Asn-Pro-Val-Ser-Cys-Val-Arg-Asn-Lys-Gly-Ile-Cys-Val-Pro-Ile-Arg-Cys-Pr o- Gly-Ser-Met-Lys-Gln-Ile-Gly-Thr-Cys-Val-Gly-Arg-Ala-Val-Lys-Cys-Cys-Arg- Lys-Lys - OH. Mass spectral analysis of the isolated peptide was consistent with this sequence and indicated the participation of six cysteine residues in the formation of intramolecular disulfide bonds. The size, basic charge, and presence of three intramolecular disulfide bonds is similar to, but clearly distinct from, the defensins, a well-characterized class of antimicrobial peptides from mammalian circulating phagocytic cells. The putative TAP precursor is predicted to be relatively small (64 amino acids), and the mature peptide resides at the extreme carboxyl terminus and is bracketed by a short putative propeptide region and an inframe stop codon. The mRNA encoding this peptide is more abundant in the respiratory mucosa than in whole lung tissue. The purified peptide had antibacterial activity in vitro against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In addition, the peptide was active against Candida albicans, indicating a broad spectrum of activity. This peptide appears to be, based on structure and activity, a member of a group of cysteine-rich, cationic, antimicrobial peptides found in animals, insects, and plants. The isolation of TAP from the mammalian respiratory mucosa may provide insight into our understanding of host defense of this vital tissue.