Differences in fish mucus proteomes identify potential antimicrobial peptide biomarkers

Dev Comp Immunol. 2023 Aug:145:104730. doi: 10.1016/j.dci.2023.104730. Epub 2023 May 9.

Abstract

We compared the secretion of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in the epidermal mucus of three healthy fish species: two aquacultured teleost species, Dicentrarchus labrax and Sparus aurata, and one wild-caught species, Pagrus pagrus. The AMPs detected in all mucus by LC-MS/MS-QTOF are: Chrysophsin-1, -2 and -3, Piscidins -1, -2, -3 and -4, terminal Histone parts and Hepcidin-like peptides. Secretion analysis of the mucus from aquacultured fish using ProGenesis IQ software distinguished the bactericidal activities of histone peptides and probiotic flora from those of other AMPs. Chrysophsin-1 was statistically the most abundant peptide in both mucus samples (p < 0.0035). A lower detection of Piscidins was also observed. Interestingly, the presence of Oncorhyncin I was most pronounced in Sparus aurata mucus. Altogether, these results suggest that Chrysophsin-1 and Oncorhyncin I are potential biomarkers for immunodetection-based studies of changes in secretion patterns which will be further investigated during bacterial challenge.

Keywords: Antimicrobial peptides; Biomarkers; Chrysophsins; Epidermal mucus; LC-MS/MS-QqTOF; Progenesis IQ.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antimicrobial Peptides
  • Chromatography, Liquid / methods
  • Histones
  • Mucus / metabolism
  • Proteome* / metabolism
  • Sea Bream* / metabolism
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

  • Proteome
  • Antimicrobial Peptides
  • Histones