Allozymes of eleven species of Megophryinae in China were examined electrophoretically to investigate genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships. Fourteen enzymes, presumptively coded by 24 loci were detected to...Allozymes of eleven species of Megophryinae in China were examined electrophoretically to investigate genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships. Fourteen enzymes, presumptively coded by 24 loci were detected to be variable. Gene frequencies of each population at each locus were presented. The commonly used measure of genetic diversity, the average heterozygosity (H) were calculated based on gene frequencies. The results indicated that Megophryinae had a high level of genetic diversity in amphibians, an average H of 0.18, ranging from 0.058 to 0.28. Nei's (1978) genetic distances(Nei's D) were calculated for all possible population pairs. A dendrogram of 13 populations representing 11 species, 3 genera of Megophryinae were derived and presented by using UPGMA, based on Nei' s D. The assignment of Ophryophryne as a distinct genus were supported by an average Nei's D of 1.4067 which separated O. microstoma from all other populations.Subdivision of Brachytarsophrys from Megophrys was not supported by this study. Within Megophrys, three groups were recognized: (1)M. lateralis, M. giganticus and M. longipes; (2)M. palpebralespineosa, M. boettgeri and M. parva;(3) M. minor and M. kuatunensis. Three populations of M. omeimontis were closely related and share a clade independent from all other Megophrys, and B. feae as well.展开更多
Amphibian skin contains rich bioactive peptides. Especially, a large amount of antimicrobial peptides have been identified from amphibian skin secretions. Antimicrobial peptides display potent cytolytic activities aga...Amphibian skin contains rich bioactive peptides. Especially, a large amount of antimicrobial peptides have been identified from amphibian skin secretions. Antimicrobial peptides display potent cytolytic activities against a range of pathogenic bacteria and fungi and play important defense roles. No antimicrobial peptides have been reported from toads belonging to the family of Pelobatidae. In this work, two novel antimicrobial peptides(Megin 1 and Megin 2) were purified and characterized from the skin venoms of spadefoot toad Megophrys minor(Pelobatidae, Anura, Amphibia). Megin 1 had an amino acid sequence of FLKGCWTKWYSLKPKCPF-NH2, which was composed of 18 amino acid residues and contained an intra-molecular disulfide bridge and an amidated C-terminus. Megin 2 had an amino acid sequence of FFVLKFLLKWAGKVGLEHLACKFKNWC, which was composed of 27 amino acid residues and contained an intra-molecular disulfide bridge. Both Megin 1 and Megin 2 showed potential antimicrobial abilities against bacteria and fungi. The MICs of Megin 1 against Escherichia coli, Bacillus dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Candida albicans were 25, 3, 6.25, 3, and 50 μg·m L^(-1), respectively. The corresponding MICs for Megin 2 were 6.25, 1.5, 12.5, 1.5, and 12.5 μg·m L^(-1), respectively. They also exerted strong hemolytic activity against human and rabbit red cells. The results suggested that megin peptides in the toad skin of M. minor displayed toxic effects on both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. This was the first report of antimicrobial peptides from amphibians belonging to the family of Pelobatidae.展开更多
基金This work was financially supported by Natural Science Foundation of China.
文摘Allozymes of eleven species of Megophryinae in China were examined electrophoretically to investigate genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships. Fourteen enzymes, presumptively coded by 24 loci were detected to be variable. Gene frequencies of each population at each locus were presented. The commonly used measure of genetic diversity, the average heterozygosity (H) were calculated based on gene frequencies. The results indicated that Megophryinae had a high level of genetic diversity in amphibians, an average H of 0.18, ranging from 0.058 to 0.28. Nei's (1978) genetic distances(Nei's D) were calculated for all possible population pairs. A dendrogram of 13 populations representing 11 species, 3 genera of Megophryinae were derived and presented by using UPGMA, based on Nei' s D. The assignment of Ophryophryne as a distinct genus were supported by an average Nei's D of 1.4067 which separated O. microstoma from all other populations.Subdivision of Brachytarsophrys from Megophrys was not supported by this study. Within Megophrys, three groups were recognized: (1)M. lateralis, M. giganticus and M. longipes; (2)M. palpebralespineosa, M. boettgeri and M. parva;(3) M. minor and M. kuatunensis. Three populations of M. omeimontis were closely related and share a clade independent from all other Megophrys, and B. feae as well.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81273375)Jiangsu Provincial Qing Lan Project
文摘Amphibian skin contains rich bioactive peptides. Especially, a large amount of antimicrobial peptides have been identified from amphibian skin secretions. Antimicrobial peptides display potent cytolytic activities against a range of pathogenic bacteria and fungi and play important defense roles. No antimicrobial peptides have been reported from toads belonging to the family of Pelobatidae. In this work, two novel antimicrobial peptides(Megin 1 and Megin 2) were purified and characterized from the skin venoms of spadefoot toad Megophrys minor(Pelobatidae, Anura, Amphibia). Megin 1 had an amino acid sequence of FLKGCWTKWYSLKPKCPF-NH2, which was composed of 18 amino acid residues and contained an intra-molecular disulfide bridge and an amidated C-terminus. Megin 2 had an amino acid sequence of FFVLKFLLKWAGKVGLEHLACKFKNWC, which was composed of 27 amino acid residues and contained an intra-molecular disulfide bridge. Both Megin 1 and Megin 2 showed potential antimicrobial abilities against bacteria and fungi. The MICs of Megin 1 against Escherichia coli, Bacillus dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Candida albicans were 25, 3, 6.25, 3, and 50 μg·m L^(-1), respectively. The corresponding MICs for Megin 2 were 6.25, 1.5, 12.5, 1.5, and 12.5 μg·m L^(-1), respectively. They also exerted strong hemolytic activity against human and rabbit red cells. The results suggested that megin peptides in the toad skin of M. minor displayed toxic effects on both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. This was the first report of antimicrobial peptides from amphibians belonging to the family of Pelobatidae.
