QUB-1157: a bioactive peptide from the skin secretion of the Mexican leaf frog (Pachymedusa dacnicolor)

In this thesis a cDNA precursor encoding a novel peptide was cloned from the skin secretion of Mexican leaf frog, Pachymedusa dacnicolor. The deduced mature peptide was named QUB-1157 due to its molecular mass and consists of nine amino acid residues, pQEYTGWMDF-NH2.

A series of biomolecular techniques were used in this thesis. Solid phase peptide synthesis was used to synthesise replicates of the novel peptide, and reversed-phase HPLC and MALDI-TOF MS was applied to purify peptide and confirm the mass. According to the peptide’s sequence, this novel peptide has been classified as a caerulein-like peptide.