Identification and Characterization of Antimicrobial Peptides from Dromedary Omani Camels

The global rise of antimicrobial resistance against conventional antibiotics and the emergence of threatening multidrug resistant microbes alongside with the steady decline in the discovery of new effective antibiotics, combined, upsurged the need for development of novel alternative antimicrobial agents to control infections. There is an urgent need for new classes of therapeutic molecules that can both kill pathogens and control inflammation. A promising group of novel therapeutic agents has emerged since the identification of host defense peptides (HDPs) found virtually in most vertebrate species. The unique ability of HDPs to control infections, immunomodulatory functions, as well as wound healing, has raised the interest to identify new peptides and design synthetic peptides with optimum function and low cell toxicity. Camels are economically important domestic food animals in desert and semi-desert landscapes since they are highly adapted to extreme temperatures, low vegetation, and limited water resource, as well as relatively high resistance to wide range of infections. Recently, there has been increased interest in studying camel immunology. To date, no studies have coherently identified novel host defense peptides in camel blood and defined their contribution to antimicrobial activity. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the HDPs in leukocytes from camel blood and determine their potential antimicrobial activity. Isolation and purification of leukocyte-derived polypeptides using revered-phased chromatography fractionation will be used to achieve this objective. Liquid Chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis will be performed to identify peptide sequences of potential camel HDPs. Additionally, antimicrobial activity, hemolytic capacity, salt-dependency, and serum stability of synthetic camel-HDPs will be examined. The results of this project should unravel the biological functions of the HDPs in camel blood. These results might have relevance in the progress made in understanding the functions of camel immune system and the development of potential clinical applications for camel HDPs against infections.