Using Sephadex G-50 gel filtration, DEAE-52 cellulose ion-exchange chromatography, and an improved polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis together with electroelution, a novel polypeptide with antimicrobial activity in vitro was isolated and characterized from loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus. The polypeptide, named MAPP, contains about 94 residues containing 10 different amino acids, of which cysteine was the most abundant. No alkaline residue was found in MAPP. MAPP is a single-chain polypeptide with Mw of about 9800 Da and pI of about 4.78; the N-terminus of MAPP was CFGWN. MAPP showed good inhibition of various bacteria including Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. MAPP is thermally stable with more than 70% inhibitory bioactivity remaining after treatment at 60 degreesC for 30 min. In addition, MAPP could inhibit the autoxidation of pyrogallol with a high efficiency. Similarity searches by comparing amino acid composition, MS-fingerprint, and the N-terminus of MAPP demonstrated that no protein exactly matched MAPP in databases around the world. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.