Abstract

The skin of the South American frogs Phyllomedusa secretes, in addition to numerous mammalian-like hormones and neuropeptides, several gene-encoded opioid peptides that contain a D-amino acid in position 2 of their sequence. Dermorphin, Tyr-D-Ala-Phe-Gly-Tyr-Pro-Ser-NH2, dermenkephalin/deltorphin A, Tyr-D-Met-Phe-His-Leu-Met-Asp-NH2 and the deltorphins, Tyr-D-Ala-Phe-Xaa-Val-Val-Gly-NH2 (where Xaa is either Asp or Glu) are highly potent at, and exquisitely selective, for the mu- and delta-opioid receptors. D-Ala and D-Met present in dermorphin and related peptides are coded for by the usual codons in the corresponding messenger RNAs. Prepro-dermorphin/dermenkephalin and prepro-deltorphins have considerable sequence identities to precursors encoding 10-46-residue-long antimicrobial peptides--dermaseptins, brevinins, temporins, esculentins and gaegurins--originating from various amphibian species. The similarity between the prepro-regions of precursors encoding end products with strikingly different structures and biological activities supports the suggestion that the genes encoding these peptides are all members of the same family.