Lucimycin, an antifungal peptide from the therapeutic maggot of the common green bottle fly Lucilia sericata

Abstract

We report the identification, cloning, heterologous expression and functional characterization of a novel antifungal peptide named lucimycin from the common green bottle fly Lucilia sericata. The lucimycin cDNA was isolated from a library of genes induced during the innate immune response in L. sericata larvae, which are used as therapeutic maggots. The peptide comprises 77 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 8.2 kDa and a pI of 6.6. It is predicted to contain a zinc-binding motif and to form a random coil, lacking β-sheets or other secondary structures. Lucimycin was active against fungi from the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Zygomycota, in addition to the oomycete Phytophtora parasitica, but it was inactive against bacteria. A mutant version of lucimycin, lacking the four C-terminal amino acid residues, displayed 40-fold lower activity. The activity of lucimycin against a number of highly-destructive plant pathogens could be exploited to produce transgenic crops that are resistant against fungal diseases.

Antimicrobial Peptides Expressed in Medicinal Maggots of the Blow Fly Lucilia sericata Show Combinatorial Activity against Bacteria

“…The therapeutic effects include the removal of necrotic tissue (debridement), the acceleration of wound healing, and wound disinfection (5,6). The wound disinfection property has been attributed to antimicrobial components in the larval secretions, including small molecules with antibacterial activity (7,8) and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), such as the defensin-like lucifensin (9) and a recently reported AMP with potent antifungal activity, which accordingly was named lucimycin (10).…”

Detection and partial characterization of antifungal bioactivity from the secretions of the medicinal maggot, Lucilia sericata

“…Using the OD assay, a high degree of antifungal activity was detected in all ES fractions. The activity seen in the higher molecular weight fractions of ES >10 and ES 10–0.5 is most likely due to the presence of large (>0.5 kDa) antifungal molecules/peptides, perhaps including the recently reported lucimycin . The activity seen in these fractions could also be derived from other broad spectrum antimicrobial peptides.…”

“…The antimicrobial properties of many insects including maggot ES have been widely demonstrated against numerous species of bacteria, 9,11,22 viruses, 23 and fungal pathogens, [16][17][18] although to our knowledge, this is the first time that antifungal activity against several Candida and Saccharomyces spp. has been demonstrated and investigated in L. sericata nES and its fractions (according to molecular weight).…”

“…Although there is an extensive volume of literature available on the antibacterial properties of L. sericata larvae, the antifungal properties have attracted considerably less attention, comprising, to our knowledge thus far, of only three reports. One showing activity against the agricultural pathogens Fusarium sambucinum and F. verticillioides , another demonstrating activity of a novel antifungal peptide, lucimycin, against the agricultural pathogens F. graminearum and Phytophthora parasitica , along with some opportunistic fungal pathogens, including Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans and the other demonstrating activity against Trichophyton terrestre , a cause of some superficial fungal infections …”

In vitro antimicrobial activity of maggot excretions/secretions of Sarcophaga (Liopygia) argyrostoma (Robineau-Desvoidy)

“…The differences between our findings and the Iijima team may be due to the differences in antimicrobial properties of ES and the insect's haemolymph. Also, Pöppel et al (2014) separated an antifungal peptide, lucimycin, from the L. sericata cDNA library of genes. Lucimycin was effective against the phyla: Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Zygomycota, but inactive against bacteria.…”