Host-defence peptides of Australian anurans: structure, mechanism of action and evolutionary significance

Host-defence peptides secreted from the skin glands of Australian frogs and toads, are, with a few notable exceptions, different from those produced by anurans elsewhere. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the following classes of peptide isolated and characterized from Australian anurans: neuropeptides (including smooth muscle active peptides, and peptides that inhibit the production of nitric oxide from neuronal nitric oxide synthase), antimicrobial and anticancer active peptides, antifungal peptides and antimalarial peptides. Other topics covered include sex pheromones of anurans, and the application of peptide profiling to (i) recognize particular populations of anurans of the same species and to differentiate between species, and (ii) investigate evolutionary aspects of peptide formation. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.