Tissue expression and antibacterial activity of host defense peptides in chicken.

BACKGROUND: Host defence peptides are a diverse group of small, cationic peptides and are important elements of the first line of defense against pathogens in animals. Expression and functional analysis of host defense peptides has been evaluated in chicken but there are no direct, comprehensive comparisons with all gene family and individual genes. RESULTS: We examined the expression patterns of all known cathelicidins, ß-defensins and NK-lysin in multiple selected tissues from chickens. CATH1 through 3 were predominantly expressed in the bone marrow, whereas CATHB1 was predominant in bursa of Fabricius. The tissue specific pattern of ß-defensins generally fell into two groups. ß-defensin1-7 expression was predominantly in bone marrow, whereas ß-defensin8-10 and ß-defensin13 were highly expressed in liver. NK-lysin expression was highest in spleen. We synthesized peptide products of these gene families and analysed their antibacterial efficacy. Most of the host defense peptides showed antibacterial activity against E.coli with dose-dependent efficacy. ß-defensin4 and CATH3 displayed the strongest antibacterial activity among all tested chicken HDPs. Microscopic analyses revealed the killing of bacterium by disrupting membranes with peptide treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate dose-dependent antimicrobial effects of chicken HDPs mediated by membrane damage and demonstrate the differential tissue expression pattern of bioactive HDPs in chicken and the relative antimicrobial potency of the peptides they encode.

Structural and functional analysis of the D-alanyl carrier protein ligase DltA from Staphylococcus aureus Mu50.

D-Alanylation of the teichoic acids of the Gram-positive bacterial cell wall plays crucial roles in bacterial physiology and virulence. Deprivation of D-alanine from the teichoic acids of Staphylococcus aureus impairs biofilm and colony formation, induces autolysis and ultimately renders methicillin-resistant S. aureus highly susceptible to antimicrobial agents and host defense peptides. Hence, the D-alanylation pathway has emerged as a promising antibacterial target against drug-resistant S. aureus. D-Alanylation of teichoic acids is mediated via the action of four proteins encoded by the dlt operon, DltABCD, all four of which are essential for the process. In order to develop novel antimicrobial agents against S. aureus, the D-alanyl carrier protein ligase DltA, which is the first protein in the D-alanylation pathway, was focused on. Here, the crystal structure of DltA from the methicillin-resistant S. aureus strain Mu50 is presented, which reveals the unique molecular details of the catalytic center and the role of the P-loop. Kinetic analysis shows that the enantioselectivity of S. aureus DltA is much higher than that of DltA from other species. In the presence of DltC, the enzymatic activity of DltA is increased by an order of magnitude, suggesting a new exploitable binding pocket. This discovery may pave the way for a new generation of treatments for drug-resistant S. aureus.

Physiological causes of transplantation shock on rice growth inhibition and delayed heading.

Transplanting is an important rice cultivation method; however, transplanting shock commonly affects grain yield, and the mechanisms underlying the inhibition of growth, development, and delayed heading caused by transplanting shock have not yet been clearly elucidated. Here, we investigated the effects of seedling age, temperature, and root damage during transplanting on growth, development, and time to heading, both under artificially controlled and natural day length. Additionally, we investigated the impact of seedling root growth space and the potential mitigating effects of residual seed nutrients on young transplanted seedlings. The delay in heading in transplanted versus directly seeded plants was affected more by growth inhibition during the seedling period than by root damage during transplanting. However, root damage had an effect on the inhibition of leaf and tiller development, and the ratio of leaves to tillers increased because tiller development was inhibited more by transplanting shock compared with leaf development. Based on these findings, we propose factors reflecting the delay in growth due to transplanting shock that should be included for more accurate rice phenology modeling and suggest advantageous seeding conditions and transplanting methods for improved rice cultivation and yield in response to climate change.