Drosophila antibacterial protein, cecropin A, differentially affects non-bacterial organisms such as Leishmania in a manner different from other amphipathic peptides.

Akuffo,H; Hultmark,D; Engstöm,A; Frohlich,D; Kimbrell,D

doi:10.3892/ijmm.1.1.77

Jan 1998 Volume 1 Issue 1

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Jan 1998 Volume 1 Issue 1

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Article

Drosophila antibacterial protein, cecropin A, differentially affects non-bacterial organisms such as Leishmania in a manner different from other amphipathic peptides.

Authors:
- H Akuffo
- D Hultmark
- A Engstöm
- D Frohlich
- D Kimbrell
View Affiliations / Copyright

Affiliations: Microbiology and Tumor Biology Centre, Karolinska Institute, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden.
Pages: 77-159
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Published online on: January 1, 1998

https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.1.1.77
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Abstract

The effects of the antibacterial protein Drosophila cecropin A on developmental forms of Leishmania were compared with the effect of Hyalophora cecropin A in vitro. Both cecropins had a potent lytic activity on the promastigotes at concentrations not far from those occurring in vivo in the respective insect. Drosophila cecropin A had strong differential effects on the two maturation forms of Leishmania aethiopica at high concentrations: inhibiting intracellular amastigotes and stimulating extracellular promastigotes to take up thymidine. Hyalophora cecropin A also inhibited amastigotes by up to 50% at concentrations of 0.250 mg/ml, and inhibited promastigotes at high concentrations but had no enhancing effects at any of the concentrations tested. In contrast to the results with Leishmania, Drosophila cecropin A had no discernible effect on any developmental stage of P. falciparium and showed no lytic effects on haemocytes. The two enantiomers of a synthetic amphipathic peptide, D- and L-KALA, were also tested. D- and L-KALA had some in vitro antimalarial effects at 0.025 and 0.05 mg/ml respectively but both forms were haemolytic at 0.1 mg/ml. Potential uses of naturally occurring proteins and their derivatives in the control of insect born infections and topical use of cecropins against leishmaniasis are discussed.

Journals

International Journal of Molecular Medicine

International Journal of Oncology

Molecular Medicine Reports

Oncology Reports

Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine

Oncology Letters

Biomedical Reports

Molecular and Clinical Oncology

World Academy of Sciences Journal

International Journal of Functional Nutrition

International Journal of Epigenetics

Medicine International

Drosophila antibacterial protein, cecropin A, differentially affects non-bacterial organisms such as Leishmania in a manner different from other amphipathic peptides.

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Abstract

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