Peptide salamander

Woodland and slimy (Plethodon) salamanders are lung-less and lack an aquatic phase, reproducing in moist regions of the forest. They have evolved to employ large peptide contact pheromones, which are best understood in the Jordan s salamander and partially described in the Ocoee salamander.71... 

Peptides from the skin of the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) killed 90% of a culture of staphyolococci within 2 h. Peptides may be leads to design and synthesize compounds that act as novel antibiotics. 

There is no uniform classification for the A. In the literature divisions according to origin (examples Aconitum, Amaryllidaceae, Aspidosperma, cactus, Catharanthus, Cephalotaxus, Cinchona, coca, Corydalis, curare, Dendrobates, ergot, Erythrina, Iboga, Lycopodium, Maytenus, opium, Rauvol-fia, Senecio, Strychnos, tobacco, Vinca alkaloids, salamander, Solanum, Veratrum steroid alkaloids) in addition to divisions according to chemical structure (examples aporphine, benzylisoquinoline, bis-benzylisoquinoline, berberine, carboline, diterpene, inudazole, indole, indolizidine, isoquinoline, lupinane, macrocyclic, morphine, peptide, / -phenyl-ethylamine, piperidine, purine, pyridine, pyrrolidine, pyrrolizidine, quinoline, quinolizidine, quinucli-dine, spermine, spermidine, steroid, terpene, tro-pane, tropolone alkaloids) are used. 

Amphibian pheromones have been previously isolated fh>m newt and salamander species, however, this peptide, which we have named splendipherin, is the first pheromone isolated fiom any anuran species. The delivery method of those previously isolated amphibian species are very clear. Sodefiin, the ten-residue peptide pheromone of Cynops pyrrhogaster and silefiin, the ten residue peptide pheromone of Cynops ensicauda are both sent through the water by the male newts by a vigorous shaking movement of the tail (Kikuyama et al., 1995 Yamamoto et al., 2000). The 20 kDa proteinaceous male courtship pheromone of Plethodon jordani is applied to the female s sldn by direct contact (Rollman et al., 1999). 

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