Identification and functional assessment of a bioactive peptide from the Tiannan odorous frog, <i>Odorrana tiannanensis</i>

Among the diverse classes of compounds present in these secretions, peptides exhibiting a range of bioactivities, such as antimicrobial and pharmacological properties, are typically the most abundant. These peptides may hold significant therapeutic potential.

Notably, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offer distinct advantages over conventional clinical antibiotics. As the issue of antibiotic resistance becomes increasingly severe, the urgency to discover novel antimicrobial molecules has intensified. AMPs derived from amphibian defensive skin secretions have demonstrated exceptional bioactivities, positioning them as one of the most promising groups of molecules for potential therapeutic applications.<br><br>In this study, a cDNA containing coding information for peptide QUB-2051 was identified from the skin secretion of Odorrana tiannanensis using ‘shotgun’ cloning and its encoded mature peptide, sequenced as SILSGIFGVGKKIVCGLSGLC, was synthesised by solid-phase peptide synthesis.