Journal of Aquaculture Research & Development

Abstract

Importance of Fish Antimicrobial Peptides for Aquaculture and Biomedicine

Francesco Buonocore *

Fishes rely heavily on their innate immune defences for initial protection against pathogen agents invasion, both during the first stages of their lives, when the adaptive immunity is still not active, and when they are completely developed, as the adaptive immune system display scarce memory and short-lived secondary responses [1]. The antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are one of the major components of the innate defences in protecting from such infections. In mammals, AMPs typically have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, they can often kill multiple pathogens that include bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses. A large number of AMPs have been isolated from a wide number of fish species during last years, among which pleurocidin from winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus) [2], cathelicidins from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) [3], defensins from zebrafish (Danio rerio) [4], piscidins from hybrid striped bass (white bass, Morone chrysops, female, x striped bass, Morone saxatilis, male) [5], dicentracin from sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) [6], and hepcidin from channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) [7], epinecidin from the grouper (Epinephelus coiodes) [8] (for a review see [9]). The activity of fish AMPs have been tested not only against the more common fish bacterial pathogens [8,10] but either against other pathogens like nervous necrosis virus [11]. Moreover, some AMPs have shown dual functional aspects, like hepcidins that have been indicated to be involved in iron regulation [12]. Piscidins have been demonstrated to be present both in mast cells and professional phagocytic granulocytes [13] and have been detected via bug blot, Western blot, ELISA and/or immunochemistry in gill extract of different important fish species.