Peptidomic characterisation of amphibian skin secretions

A custom transcriptome-derived reference library was generated to support the characterisation of skin secretions from two amphibian species, the Midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans) and the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis). Total RNA was extracted from the skin of three post-metamorphic individuals of each species and sequenced on an Illumina NovaSeq platform. The sequencing reads were assembled de novo to create a custom protein reference database. This species-specific tool was used to identify secreted peptides from liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) data, offering a more comprehensive analysis than existing databases. This dataset provides a valuable resource for researchers in amphibian biology, peptide discovery, and proteomics. The custom transcriptome library can be used to improve peptide identification from LC-MS/MS data and to explore the genetic basis of bioactive compounds in amphibian skin.