Centipedes, a type of arthropod, reportedly produce antimicrobial peptides as part of an innate immune response. Scolopendin (SPSEKAGLQPVGRIGRMLKK) is a novel antimicrobial peptide derived from Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans. Many antifungal agents have more than one type of cell death mechanism. Although scolopendin is involved in membrane perturbation, the corresponding intracellular changes require further investigation. Therefore, we assessed the cell morphology and calcium ion concentration of the cytosol and mitochondria of scolopendin-treated cells. The treated cells were shrunken, and calcium ion homeostasis was disrupted in both the cytosol and mitochondria. These conditions attenuated mitochondrial homeostasis, disrupting mitochondrial membrane potential and cytochrome c levels. Fungal cells treated with scolopendin exhibited various apoptotic phenotypes such as reactive oxygen species accumulation, phosphatidylserine exposure, chromatin condensation, and nuclear fragmentation. Scolopendin-induced cell death also triggered metacaspase activation. In conclusion, treatment of Candida albicans with scolopendin induced the apoptotic response, which in turn led to mitochondrial dysfunction, metacaspase activation, and cell death. The antimicrobial peptide scolopendin from the centipede S.s. mutilans demonstrated a novel apoptotic mechanism as an antifungal agent.
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March 2017
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This confocal microscopic image of an intestinal epithelium exposed to osmotic stress shows localization of nuclei and distribution of tight junction proteins, occludin (green) and ZO-1 (red). Discontinuous junctional distribution of these proteins is an indicator of disrupted tight junctions. For more information please see study by Gangwar et al. in this issue, pages 731–749. Image provided by R.K. Rao
Research Article|
February 20 2017
Scolopendin, an antimicrobial peptide from centipede, attenuates mitochondrial functions and triggers apoptosis in Candida albicans
Heejeong Lee;
Heejeong Lee
†
1School of Life Sciences, BK 21 Plus KNU Creative BioResearch Group, College of Natural Sciences, Kyungpook National University, 80 Daehakro, Bukgu, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
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Jae-Sam Hwang;
Jae-Sam Hwang
†
2Department of Agricultural Biology, National Academy of Agricultural Science, RDA, Wanju, Republic of Korea
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Dong Gun Lee
1School of Life Sciences, BK 21 Plus KNU Creative BioResearch Group, College of Natural Sciences, Kyungpook National University, 80 Daehakro, Bukgu, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
Correspondence: Dong Gun Lee (dglee222@knu.ac.kr)
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
November 27 2016
Revision Received:
December 21 2016
Accepted:
December 22 2016
Accepted Manuscript online:
December 22 2016
Online ISSN: 1470-8728
Print ISSN: 0264-6021
© 2017 The Author(s); published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society
2017
Biochem J (2017) 474 (5): 635–645.
Article history
Received:
November 27 2016
Revision Received:
December 21 2016
Accepted:
December 22 2016
Accepted Manuscript online:
December 22 2016
Citation
Heejeong Lee, Jae-Sam Hwang, Dong Gun Lee; Scolopendin, an antimicrobial peptide from centipede, attenuates mitochondrial functions and triggers apoptosis in Candida albicans. Biochem J 1 March 2017; 474 (5): 635–645. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BCJ20161039
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