source: http://cegg.unige.ch/insecta/immunodb/expert

AMPs: Anti-Microbial Peptides
Summary

Lyric Bartholomay(1), George Mayhew(2), and Bruce Christensen(2) 

1. Department of Entomology, 442 Science Hall 2, Iowa State University, Ames IA 50011-3222 
2. Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706-1581, USA 

AMPs fall into three major classes which can be described as peptides containing cysteine disulfide bonds, linear peptides which form alpha-helices, or proline- and/or glycine-rich peptides [Bulet et al. 2004]. Dm possesses a wide range of AMPs including metchnikowin, drosocin, defensin, diptericins, attacins, cecropins, and drosomycins [Hetru et al. 2003]. Four attacins have been identified in Dm, however only one of these glycine-rich AMPs has been found in each of the mosquitoes. An orthologous group of cysteine-rich defensins, with three peptides in Aa, is formed with DmDef and AgDEF1. Gambicins, which have so far only been identified in the two mosquitoes, are cysteine-rich peptides which form four disulfide bridges. Cecropins are much more widespread among insects; however these alpha-helical peptides are relatively divergent between the mosquitoes and Dm. Ag gambicin has been shown to be induced in the mosquito after challenge with E. coli but not Plasmodium, contrasting AgCEC1 which shows the opposite effect [Christophides et al. 2004]. In addition to the AMPs presented in Fig. S2 and the gambicin discussed above, a putative diptericin and a putative holotricin (Glycine-Rich Repeat Protein: GRRP) were identified in the Aa genome.