Novel Antimicrobial Peptide from the Hepatopancreas of the Red King Crab

Crustaceans have successfully adapted to survive in their natural habitat, rich in microorganisms, due to the presence of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in their organism. They achieve this adaptation despite lacking the highly specific adaptive immune system found in vertebrates. One valuable source of AMPs is the hepatopancreas, a waste product from crab fishery and its processing. Applying zymographic and spectrophotometric techniques, we discovered a small peptide (approximately 5 kDa) within a low molecular weight protein fraction extracted from the acetone powder of the red king crab hepatopancreas. This peptide hydrolyzes both M. lysodeikticus cell wall and M. lysodeikticus cell wall polysaccharide, while showing no activity against gelatin. The found peptide may be of interest for application in medicine, biotechnology, and the food industry, for example as a bio-preservative.