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Updated: Aug 25, 2026

Antimicrobial Peptides Produced by Selective Pressure Incorporation of Non-canonical Amino Acids
Published on: May 4, 2018
Hagfish intestinal antimicrobial peptides are ancient cathelicidins
Thomas Uzzell1, Ethan D Stolzenberg, Ann E Shinnar
1Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA. uzzell@discovery.acnatsci.org
Abstract:
Three potent broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides (HFIAP-1, -2, and -3) isolated from intestinal tissues of Myxine glutinosa (Atlantic hagfish) are identified as ancient members of the cathelicidin family of antimicrobial peptides, hitherto known only from mammals. In situ hybridization reveals that HFIAPs are produced in nests of myeloid cells within the loose connective tissue of the gut wall, a tissue reminiscent of both gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) and vertebrate spleen. We suggest that this tissue organization provides local defense of the hagfish gastrointestinal tract via innate immunity and possibly served as the architectural plan upon which the adaptive immune system evolved.
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