Adaptation of plateau frog peptide: From antimicrobial to angiogenic and proliferative functions

Amphibian skin peptides, particularly defensins, play important roles in environmental adaptation, but often exhibit functional redundancy. SC17-2, a novel peptide from the high altitude frog Nanorana parkeri, exhibits unique angiogenesis and cell migration promoting activities, allowing adaptation to the extreme environment of the Tibetan Plateau with high UV radiation and low microbial diversity.

This study aimed to investigate the adaptive role of SC17-2 in high-UV environments, its functional differences from typical defensins, and its potential biomedical applications in wound healing and angiogenesis.

Bioinformatics analyses, including sequence alignment and ancestral reconstruction, identified positively selected amino acid sites in SC17-2. Molecular docking examined its interaction with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). In vitro and in vivo experiments, using mouse and zebrafish models, assessed its wound healing and angiogenic properties.

SC17-2 exhibited no antimicrobial activity, but it demonstrated antioxidant activity and potent wound healing and angiogenic properties. Molecular docking indicated that SC17-2 interacts with EGFR, potentially activating downstream signalling pathways. In vivo experiments showed that SC17-2 significantly accelerated wound healing by promoting collagen regeneration and angiogenesis, in some aspects outperforming VEGF.

SC17-2 represents a unique functional divergence in amphibian peptides, driven by ecological adaptation rather than microbial pressure. Its ability to promote angiogenesis and cell migration highlights its potential as a novel therapeutic agent for regenerative medicine, shaped by the extreme conditions of the Tibetan Plateau.