Full text |
|
Research article - Vol. 22, 2016 |
Initial peptidomic profiling of Brazilian sea urchins: Arbacia lixula, Lytechinus variegatus and Echinometra lucunter
Juliana Mozer Sciani1, Andrews Krupinski Emerenciano2, José Roberto Machado Cunha da Silva2, Daniel Carvalho Pimenta1
1 Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Butantan Institute, Av. Vital Brasil, 1500, São Paulo, SP CEP 05503-900, Brazil.
2 Laboratory of Evolutionary Histophysiology, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
ABSTRACT
Background
Sea urchins can be found throughout the Brazilian coast and are reported to be one of the major causes of marine accidents on the shoreline. Although not lethal, these accidents are reported to be extremely painful. In order to understand the toxinology of the Brazilian urchins, a peptidomic approach was performed aiming to characterize the naturally occurring peptides in both the coelomic fluid and the spine.
Methods
Animals were collected without gender distinction and samples of the coelomic fluid and spines extracted were analyzed by RP-HPLC and mass spectrometry for peptide de novo sequencing.
Results
Several peptides were identified either in the coelomic fluid or the spine extract (except for E. lucunter). The peptide sequences were aligned with public deposited sequences and possible functions were inferred. Moreover, some peptides can be cryptides, since their sequences were identified within functional proteins, for example thymosin from Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
Conclusions
Although preliminary, the peptidomic approach presented here reports, for the first time, the abundance of novel biological molecules derived from these animals. The discovery of such molecules may be of potential biotechnological application, as described for other organisms; nevertheless, further studies are required.
Key words: Peptides; Toxins; Sea urchin; Peptidomics
Funding
The authors acknowledge the financial support of the State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq - project 306066/2011-4, DCP), FINEP (Convênio FINEP - 01.09.0278.00). DCP is a fellow CNPq researcher. Thanks are also due to the Center for the Study of Venoms and Venomous Animals (CEVAP) of UNESP for enabling the publication of this paper (CAPES, grant no. 23038.006285/2011-21, AUXPE - Toxinologia - 1219/2011).
Received: December 7, 2015.
Revised: April 28, 2016.
Accepted: May 4, 2016.
Correspondence: dcpimenta@butantan.gov.br