Study of the Antimicrobial Peptide 5-Methyl- Hexahydropyrimidine-2,4-dione in Styela plicata (Lesueur, 1823) (Ascidiacea, Stolidobranchia)

Gaber Ibrahim, Naif AlQurashi, Saeed Mujahid Hashimi and Oleg Latyshev

Background and Objective: The adaptive immune system depends on the identification and elimination of foreign molecules. The objective of this article is to analyze the antimicrobial peptide of Styela plicata on the molecular level to know what the triggered mechanisms are after stimulation both in vivo and in vitro; perform a comparative analysis between the response of this sea squirt to a living stimulus, bacteria and to an inert stimulus, pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Materials and Methods: Styela plicata was collected from the Arabian Gulf and the Mediterranean in 2019. Parts of the pharyngeal sac, mantle, blood samples, ovary and testis were analyzed using Polymerase Chain Reaction-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and Southern blot. Results: Analysis of sea squirts revealed a degree of variability which does not seem to be related to the geographical origin. Genetically related squirts share the same antimicrobial peptide bands. The in vitro experiments showed similar antimicrobial peptide bands before and after the exposure of the blood cells to the stimuli. Conclusion: This is the first time to detect that 5-methyl-hexahydropyrimidine-2,4-dione showed variability in estuarine areas in the Arabian Gulf.

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