Secretory ranalexin produced in recombinant Pichia pastoris exhibits additive or synergistic bactericidal activity when used in combination with polymyxin B or linezolid against multi-drug resistant bacteria.

Ranalexin, a cationic peptide from frogs, is a potent therapeutic antimicrobial peptide (AMP). Its limited availability is an obstacle for a wider application. A high-level production of AMPs via bioengineering is possible but remains a challenging task.

Molecular cloning and expression of ranalexin, a bioactive antimicrobial peptide from Rana catesbeiana in Escherichia coli and assessments of its biological activities.

The coding sequence, which corresponds to the mature antimicrobial peptide ranalexin from the frog Rana catesbeiana, was chemically synthesized with preferred codons for expression in Escherichia coli. It was cloned into the vector pET32c (+) to express a thioredoxin-ranalexin fusion protein which was produced in soluble form in E. coli BL21 (DE3) induced under optimized conditions.