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Umumararungu T, Gahamanyi N, Mukiza J, Habarurema G, Katandula J, Rugamba A, Kagisha V. Proline, a unique amino acid whose polymer, polyproline II helix, and its analogues are involved in many biological processes: a review. Amino Acids 2024; 56:50. [PMID: 39182198 PMCID: PMC11345334 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-024-03410-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024]
Abstract
Proline is a unique amino acid in that its side-chain is cyclised to the backbone, thus giving proline an exceptional rigidity and a considerably restricted conformational space. Polyproline forms two well-characterized helical structures: a left-handed polyproline helix (PPII) and a right-handed polyproline helix (PPI). Usually, sequences made only of prolyl residues are in PPII conformation, but even sequences not rich in proline but which are rich in glycine, lysine, glutamate, or aspartate have also a tendency to form PPII helices. Currently, the only way to study unambiguously PPII structure in solution is to use spectroscopies based on optical activity such as circular dichroism, vibrational circular dichroism and Raman optical activity. The importance of the PPII structure is emphasized by its ubiquitous presence in different organisms from yeast to human beings where proline-rich motifs and their binding domains are believed to be involved in vital biological processes. Some of the domains that are bound by proline-rich motifs include SH3 domains, WW domains, GYF domains and UEV domains, etc. The PPII structure has been demonstrated to be essential to biological activities such as signal transduction, transcription, cell motility, and immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Théoneste Umumararungu
- Department of Industrial Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
| | - Noël Gahamanyi
- Department of Biology, School of Science, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
- Rwanda Biomedical Center, Microbiology Unit, National Reference Laboratory, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Janvier Mukiza
- Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority, Nyarutarama Plaza, KG 9 Avenue, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Gratien Habarurema
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Jonathan Katandula
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Alexis Rugamba
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Genetics, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Vedaste Kagisha
- Department of Pharmaceuticals and Biomolecules Analysis, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
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Tiwari I, Bhojiya AA, Prasad R, Porwal S, Varma A, Choudhary DK. Putative Role of Anti-microbial Peptide Recovered from Lactiplantibacillus spp. in Biocontrol Activity. Curr Microbiol 2024; 81:88. [PMID: 38311656 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-023-03586-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) stand as a promising alternative to conventional pesticides, leveraging a multifaceted approach to combat plant pathogens. This study focuses on identifying and characterizing the AMP produced by Lactiplantibacillus argentoratensis strain IT, demonstrating potent antibacterial activity against various harmful microorganisms. Evaluation of AMPs' antibacterial activity was conducted through an agar well diffusion assay, a reliable method for assessing secondary metabolite antimicrobial efficacy. The study unveils the antimicrobial potential of the purified extract obtained from Lactiplantibacillus argentoratensis IT, isolated from goat milk. Notably, the AMP exhibited robust antibacterial activity against phytopathogens affecting solanaceous crops, including the Gram-negative Ralstonia solanacearum. Expression conditions and purification methods were optimized to identify the peptide's mass and sequence, utilizing LC-MS and SDS-PAGE. This paper underscores the application potential of Lactiplantibacillus spp. IT as a biocontrol agent for managing bacterial infectious diseases in plants. Results indicate optimal AMP production at 37 °C, with a culture broth pH of 5 during fermentation. The obtained peptide sequence corresponded to peaks at 842.5 and 2866.4 m/z ratio, with a molecular weight of approximately 5 kDa according to tricine SDS-PAGE analysis. In conclusion, this study lays the foundation for utilizing Lactiplantibacillus spp. IT derived AMPs in plant biocontrol strategies, showcasing their efficacy against bacterial phytopathogens. These findings contribute valuable insights for advancing sustainable agricultural practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishan Tiwari
- Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, 201313, India
| | - Ali Asger Bhojiya
- Department of Botany, U.S. Ostwal P.G. College, Mangalwad, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, 312024, India
| | - Ram Prasad
- Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Motihari, Bihar, 845401, India
| | - Shalini Porwal
- Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, 201313, India.
| | - Ajit Varma
- Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, 201313, India
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3
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Collins J, McConnell A, Schmitz ZD, Hackel BJ. Sequence-function mapping of proline-rich antimicrobial peptides. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.28.577586. [PMID: 38352424 PMCID: PMC10862732 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.28.577586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are essential elements of natural cellular combat and candidates as antibiotic therapy. Elevated function may be needed for robust physiological performance. Yet, both pure protein design and combinatorial library discovery are hindered by the complexity of antimicrobial activity. We applied a recently developed high-throughput technique, sequence-activity mapping of AMPs via depletion (SAMP-Dep), to proline-rich AMPs. Robust self-inhibition was achieved for metalnikowin 1 (Met) and apidaecin 1b (Api). SAMP-Dep exhibited high reproducibility with correlation coefficients 0.90 and 0.92, for Met and Api, respectively, between replicates and 0.99 and 0.96 for synonymous genetic variants. Sequence-activity maps were obtained via characterization of 26,000 and 34,000 mutants of Met and Api, respectively. Both AMPs exhibit similar mutational profiles including beneficial mutations at one terminus, the C-terminus for Met and N-terminus for Api, which is consistent with their opposite binding orientations in the ribosome. While Met and Api reside with the family of proline-rich AMPs, different proline sites exhibit substantially different mutational tolerance. Within the PRP motif, proline mutation eliminates activity, whereas non-PRP prolines readily tolerate mutation. Homologous mutations are more tolerated, particularly at alternating sites on one 'face' of the peptide. Important and consistent epistasis was observed following the PRP domain within the segment that extends into the ribosomal exit tunnel for both peptides. Variants identified from the SAMP-Dep platform were produced and exposed toward Gram-negative species exogenously, showing either increased potency or specificity for strains tested. In addition to mapping sequence-activity space for fundamental insight and therapeutic engineering, the results advance the robustness of the SAMP-Dep platform for activity characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Zachary D Schmitz
- Chemical Engineering and Materials Science University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Benjamin J Hackel
- Biomedical Engineering, Minneapolis, MN 55455
- Chemical Engineering and Materials Science University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
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4
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Collins J, Hackel BJ. Sequence-activity mapping via depletion reveals striking mutational tolerance and elucidates functional motifs in Tur1a antimicrobial peptide. Protein Eng Des Sel 2024; 37:gzae006. [PMID: 38484121 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzae006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2024] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (PrAMPs) are attractive antibiotic candidates that target gram-negative bacteria ribosomes. We elucidated the sequence-function landscape of 43 000 variants of a recently discovered family member, Tur1a, using the validated SAMP-Dep platform that measures intracellular AMP potency in a high-throughput manner via self-depletion of the cellular host. The platform exhibited high replicate reproducibility (ρ = 0.81) and correlation between synonymous genetic variants (R2 = 0.93). Only two segments within Tur1a exhibited stringent mutational requirements to sustain potency: residues 9YLP11 and 19FP20. This includes the aromatic residue in the hypothesized binding domain but not the PRP domain. Along with unexpected mutational tolerance of PRP, the data contrast hypothesized importance of the 1RRIR4 motif and arginines in general. In addition to mutational tolerance of residue segments with presumed significance, 77% of mutations are functionally neutral. Multimutant performance mainly shows compounding effects from removed combinations of prolines and arginines in addition to the two segments of residues showing individual importance. Several variants identified as active from SAMP-Dep were externally produced and maintained activity when applied to susceptible species exogenously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Collins
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Benjamin J Hackel
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
- Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
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5
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Brakel A, Grochow T, Fritsche S, Knappe D, Krizsan A, Fietz SA, Alber G, Hoffmann R, Müller U. Evaluation of proline-rich antimicrobial peptides as potential lead structures for novel antimycotics against Cryptococcus neoformans. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1328890. [PMID: 38260890 PMCID: PMC10800876 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1328890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Cryptococcosis and cryptococcal meningitis, caused by Cryptococcus neoformans infections, lead to approximately 180,000 deaths per year, primarily in developing countries. Individuals with compromised immune systems, e.g., due to HIV infection (AIDS) or chemotherapy, are particularly vulnerable. Conventional treatment options are often limited and can cause severe side effects. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the antifungal effect of insect-derived proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (PrAMPs) against C. neoformans. These peptides are known for their low toxicity and their high efficacy in murine infection models, making them a promising alternative for treatment. Results A preliminary screening of the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 20 AMPs, including the well-known PrAMPs Onc112, Api137, and Chex1Arg20 as well as the cathelicidin CRAMP against the C. neoformans strains 1841, H99, and KN99α revealed promising results, with MICs as low as 1.6 μmol/L. Subsequent investigations of selected peptides, determining their influence on fungal colony-forming units, confirmed their strong activity. The antifungal activity was affected by factors such as peptide net charge and sequence, with stronger effects at higher net charges probably due to better intracellular uptake confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Inactive scrambled peptides suggest a specific intracellular target, although scanning electron microscopy showed that PrAMPs also damaged the cell exterior for a low proportion of the cells. Possible pore formation could facilitate entry into the cytosol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Brakel
- Institute of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy, Bioanalytical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Center for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas Grochow
- Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stefanie Fritsche
- Center for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Immunology/Molecular Pathogenesis, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniel Knappe
- Institute of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy, Bioanalytical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Center for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Andor Krizsan
- Institute of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy, Bioanalytical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Center for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Simone A. Fietz
- Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gottfried Alber
- Center for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Immunology/Molecular Pathogenesis, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ralf Hoffmann
- Institute of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy, Bioanalytical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Center for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Uwe Müller
- Center for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Immunology/Molecular Pathogenesis, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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Bonvin E, Personne H, Paschoud T, Reusser J, Gan BH, Luscher A, Köhler T, van Delden C, Reymond JL. Antimicrobial Peptide-Peptoid Hybrids with and without Membrane Disruption. ACS Infect Dis 2023; 9:2593-2606. [PMID: 38062792 PMCID: PMC10714400 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Among synthetic analogues of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) under investigation to address antimicrobial resistance, peptoids (N-alkylated oligoglycines) have been reported to act both by membrane disruption and on intracellular targets. Here we gradually introduced peptoid units into the membrane-disruptive undecapeptide KKLLKLLKLLL to test a possible transition toward intracellular targeting. We found that selected hybrids containing up to five peptoid units retained the parent AMP's α-helical folding, membrane disruption, and antimicrobial effects against Gram-negative bacteria including multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae while showing reduced hemolysis and cell toxicities. Furthermore, some hybrids containing as few as three peptoid units as well as the full peptoid lost folding, membrane disruption, hemolysis, and cytotoxicity but displayed strong antibacterial activity under dilute medium conditions typical for proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (PrAMPs), pointing to intracellular targeting. These findings parallel previous reports that partially helical amphiphilic peptoids are privileged oligomers for antibiotic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etienne Bonvin
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Hippolyte Personne
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Thierry Paschoud
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jérémie Reusser
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Bee-Ha Gan
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Luscher
- Department
of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
- Service of
Infectious Diseases, University Hospital
of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Thilo Köhler
- Department
of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
- Service of
Infectious Diseases, University Hospital
of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Christian van Delden
- Department
of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
- Service of
Infectious Diseases, University Hospital
of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Louis Reymond
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Skowron KJ, Baliga C, Johnson T, Kremiller KM, Castroverde A, Dean TT, Allen AC, Lopez-Hernandez AM, Aleksandrova EV, Klepacki D, Mankin AS, Polikanov YS, Moore TW. Structure-Activity Relationships of the Antimicrobial Peptide Natural Product Apidaecin. J Med Chem 2023; 66:11831-11842. [PMID: 37603874 PMCID: PMC10768847 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
With the growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance, it is critical to continue to seek out new sources of novel antibiotics. This need has led to renewed interest in natural product antimicrobials, specifically antimicrobial peptides. Nonlytic antimicrobial peptides are highly promising due to their unique mechanisms of action. One such peptide is apidaecin (Api), which inhibits translation termination through stabilization of the quaternary complex of the ribosome-apidaecin-tRNA-release factor. Synthetic derivatives of apidaecin have been developed, but structure-guided modifications have yet to be considered. In this work, we have focused on modifying key residues in the Api sequence that are responsible for the interactions that stabilize the quaternary complex. We present one of the first examples of a highly modified Api peptide that maintains its antimicrobial activity and interaction with the translation complex. These findings establish a starting point for further structure-guided optimization of Api peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kornelia J Skowron
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Chetana Baliga
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Tatum Johnson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Kyle M Kremiller
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Alexandra Castroverde
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Trevor T Dean
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - A'Lester C Allen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Ana M Lopez-Hernandez
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Elena V Aleksandrova
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | - Dorota Klepacki
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Alexander S Mankin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
- Center for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Yury S Polikanov
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
- Center for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Terry W Moore
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
- University of Illinois Cancer Center, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
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8
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Tresnak DT, Hackel BJ. Deep Antimicrobial Activity and Stability Analysis Inform Lysin Sequence-Function Mapping. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:249-264. [PMID: 36599162 PMCID: PMC10822705 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic-resistant infectious disease is a critical challenge to human health. Antimicrobial proteins offer a compelling solution if engineered for potency, selectivity, and physiological stability. Lysins, which lyse cells via degradation of cell wall peptidoglycans, have significant potential to fill this role. Yet, the functional complexity of antimicrobial activity has hindered high-throughput characterization for discovery and design. To dramatically expand knowledge of the sequence-function landscape of lysins, we developed a depletion-based assay for library-scale measurement of lysin inhibitory activity. We coupled this platform with a high-throughput proteolytic stability assay to assess the activity and stability of ∼5 × 104 lysin catalytic domain variants, resulting in the discovery of a variant with increased activity (70 ± 20%) and stability (7.2 ± 0.4 °C increased midpoint of thermal denaturation). Ridge regression of the resulting data set demonstrated that libraries with a higher average Hamming distance better informed pairwise models and that coupling activity and stability assays enabled better prediction of catalytically active lysins. The best models achieved Pearson's correlation coefficients of 0.87 ± 0.01 and 0.61 ± 0.04 for predicting catalytic domain stability and activity, respectively. Our work provides an efficient strategy for constructing protein sequence-function landscapes, drastically increases screening throughput for engineering lysins, and yields promising lysins for further development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel T. Tresnak
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 421 Washington Avenue SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Benjamin J. Hackel
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 421 Washington Avenue SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
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Host–Bacterial Interactions: Outcomes of Antimicrobial Peptide Applications. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12070715. [PMID: 35877918 PMCID: PMC9317001 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12070715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The bacterial membrane is part of a secretion system which plays an integral role to secrete proteins responsible for cell viability and pathogenicity; pathogenic bacteria, for example, secrete virulence factors and other membrane-associated proteins to invade the host cells through various types of secretion systems (Type I to Type IX). The bacterial membrane can also mediate microbial communities’ communication through quorum sensing (QS), by secreting auto-stimulants to coordinate gene expression. QS plays an important role in regulating various physiological processes, including bacterial biofilm formation while providing increased virulence, subsequently leading to antimicrobial resistance. Multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria have emerged as a threat to global health, and various strategies targeting QS and biofilm formation have been explored by researchers worldwide. Since the bacterial secretion systems play such a crucial role in host–bacterial interactions, this review intends to outline current understanding of bacterial membrane systems, which may provide new insights for designing approaches aimed at antimicrobials discovery. Various mechanisms pertaining interaction of the bacterial membrane with host cells and antimicrobial agents will be highlighted, as well as the evolution of bacterial membranes in evasion of antimicrobial agents. Finally, the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as a cellular device for bacterial secretion systems will be discussed as emerging potential candidates for the treatment of multidrug resistance infections.
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10
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Chen Z, Wang L, Hong D, Liu Y, Han P, Li S, Jia Y. Broad-spectrum cytotoxicity to cancer cells of Brevilaterin C from Brevibacillus laterosporus and its specific mechanism on human epidermal cancer cells. J Cell Biochem 2022; 123:1237-1246. [PMID: 35656936 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.30280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) from Brevibacillus laterosporus have good prospects as clinical treatments for cancer. Nevertheless, details about their anticancer spectrum and mode of cytotoxicity remain poorly understood. A newly found AMP (named Brevilaterin C) secreted by B. laterosporus S62-9 exhibited strong inhibition on almost cancer cell lines examined at a concentration of 8 µg/ml but was relatively safe for normal cells. We further systematically examined its cytotoxicity and mechanism toward human epidermal cancer cell A431. A dosage of 3 µg/ml of Brevilaterin C could significantly increase lactate dehydrogenase release of tumor cells. Moreover, it could remarkably increase the ratio of apoptosis and reactive oxygen species generation of A431, indicating effective induction of apoptosis. Moreover, the formation of JC-1 aggregates was effectively prevented by a low concentration of Brevilaterin C, indicating its effective induction of A431's apoptosis. Brevilaterin C exhibited broad-spectrum cytotoxicity to cancer cells, indicating a good potential prospect in the medical field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhou Chen
- Lab of Enzyme Engineering, School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, Haidian District, China
| | - Lulu Wang
- Lab of Enzyme Engineering, School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, Haidian District, China
| | - Dan Hong
- Lab of Enzyme Engineering, School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, Haidian District, China
| | - Yangliu Liu
- Lab of Enzyme Engineering, School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, Haidian District, China
| | - Panpan Han
- Lab of Enzyme Engineering, School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, Haidian District, China
| | - Siting Li
- Lab of Enzyme Engineering, School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, Haidian District, China
| | - Yingmin Jia
- Lab of Enzyme Engineering, School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, Haidian District, China
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11
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Koch P, Schmitt S, Heynisch A, Gumpinger A, Wüthrich I, Gysin M, Shcherbakov D, Hobbie SN, Panke S, Held M. Optimization of the antimicrobial peptide Bac7 by deep mutational scanning. BMC Biol 2022; 20:114. [PMID: 35578204 PMCID: PMC9112550 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01304-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intracellularly active antimicrobial peptides are promising candidates for the development of antibiotics for human applications. However, drug development using peptides is challenging as, owing to their large size, an enormous sequence space is spanned. We built a high-throughput platform that incorporates rapid investigation of the sequence-activity relationship of peptides and enables rational optimization of their antimicrobial activity. The platform is based on deep mutational scanning of DNA-encoded peptides and employs highly parallelized bacterial self-screening coupled to next-generation sequencing as a readout for their antimicrobial activity. As a target, we used Bac71-23, a 23 amino acid residues long variant of bactenecin-7, a potent translational inhibitor and one of the best researched proline-rich antimicrobial peptides. RESULTS Using the platform, we simultaneously determined the antimicrobial activity of >600,000 Bac71-23 variants and explored their sequence-activity relationship. This dataset guided the design of a focused library of ~160,000 variants and the identification of a lead candidate Bac7PS. Bac7PS showed high activity against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of E. coli, and its activity was less dependent on SbmA, a transporter commonly used by proline-rich antimicrobial peptides to reach the cytosol and then inhibit translation. Furthermore, Bac7PS displayed strong ribosomal inhibition and low toxicity against eukaryotic cells and demonstrated good efficacy in a murine septicemia model induced by E. coli. CONCLUSION We demonstrated that the presented platform can be used to establish the sequence-activity relationship of antimicrobial peptides, and showed its usefulness for hit-to-lead identification and optimization of antimicrobial drug candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Koch
- Bioprocess Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Steven Schmitt
- Bioprocess Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Heynisch
- Bioprocess Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anja Gumpinger
- Machine Learning and Computational Biology, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Irene Wüthrich
- Bioprocess Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marina Gysin
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dimitri Shcherbakov
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sven N Hobbie
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sven Panke
- Bioprocess Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Martin Held
- Bioprocess Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland.
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Luo Y, Song Y. Mechanism of Antimicrobial Peptides: Antimicrobial, Anti-Inflammatory and Antibiofilm Activities. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222111401. [PMID: 34768832 PMCID: PMC8584040 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are regarded as a new generation of antibiotics. Besides antimicrobial activity, AMPs also have antibiofilm, immune-regulatory, and other activities. Exploring the mechanism of action of AMPs may help in the modification and development of AMPs. Many studies were conducted on the mechanism of AMPs. The present review mainly summarizes the research status on the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antibiofilm properties of AMPs. This study not only describes the mechanism of cell wall action and membrane-targeting action but also includes the transmembrane mechanism of intracellular action and intracellular action targets. It also discusses the dual mechanism of action reported by a large number of investigations. Antibiofilm and anti-inflammatory mechanisms were described based on the formation of biofilms and inflammation. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the multiple activities and coordination of AMPs in vivo, and to fully understand AMPs to realize their therapeutic prospect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Luo
- College of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China;
| | - Yuzhu Song
- College of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China;
- Medical College, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-871-65939528
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13
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DeJong MP, Ritter SC, Fransen KA, Tresnak DT, Golinski AW, Hackel BJ. A Platform for Deep Sequence-Activity Mapping and Engineering Antimicrobial Peptides. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:2689-2704. [PMID: 34506711 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Developing potent antimicrobials, and platforms for their study and engineering, is critical as antibiotic resistance grows. A high-throughput method to quantify antimicrobial peptide and protein (AMP) activity across a broad continuum would be powerful to elucidate sequence-activity landscapes and identify potent mutants. Yet the complexity of antimicrobial activity has largely constrained the scope and mechanistic bandwidth of AMP variant analysis. We developed a platform to efficiently perform sequence-activity mapping of AMPs via depletion (SAMP-Dep): a bacterial host culture is transformed with an AMP mutant library, induced to intracellularly express AMPs, grown under selective pressure, and deep sequenced to quantify mutant depletion. The slope of mutant growth rate versus induction level indicates potency. Using SAMP-Dep, we mapped the sequence-activity landscape of 170 000 mutants of oncocin, a proline-rich AMP, for intracellular activity against Escherichia coli. Clonal validation supported the platform's sensitivity and accuracy. The mapped landscape revealed an extended oncocin pharmacophore contrary to earlier structural studies, clarified the C-terminus role in internalization, identified functional epistasis, and guided focused, successful synthetic peptide library design, yielding a mutant with 2-fold enhancement in both intracellular and extracellular activity. The efficiency of SAMP-Dep poises the platform to transform AMP engineering, characterization, and discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P. DeJong
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota − Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Seth C. Ritter
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota − Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Katharina A. Fransen
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota − Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Daniel T. Tresnak
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota − Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Alexander W. Golinski
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota − Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Benjamin J. Hackel
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota − Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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14
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Charting the sequence-activity landscape of peptide inhibitors of translation termination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2026465118. [PMID: 33674389 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2026465118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Apidaecin (Api), an unmodified 18-amino-acid-long proline-rich antibacterial peptide produced by bees, has been recently described as a specific inhibitor of translation termination. It invades the nascent peptide exit tunnel of the postrelease ribosome and traps the release factors preventing their recycling. Api binds in the exit tunnel in an extended conformation that matches the placement of a nascent polypeptide and establishes multiple contacts with ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and ribosomal proteins. Which of these interactions are critical for Api's activity is unknown. We addressed this problem by analyzing the activity of all possible single-amino-acid substitutions of the Api variants synthesized in the bacterial cell. By conditionally expressing the engineered api gene, we generated Api directly in the bacterial cytosol, thereby bypassing the need for importing the peptide from the medium. The endogenously expressed Api, as well as its N-terminally truncated mutants, retained the antibacterial properties and the mechanism of action of the native peptide. Taking advantage of the Api expression system and next-generation sequencing, we mapped in one experiment all the single-amino-acid substitutions that preserve or alleviate the on-target activity of the Api mutants. Analysis of the inactivating mutations made it possible to define the pharmacophore of Api involved in critical interactions with the ribosome, transfer RNA (tRNA), and release factors. We also identified the Api segment that tolerates a variety of amino acid substitutions; alterations in this segment could be used to improve the pharmacological properties of the antibacterial peptide.
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15
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Boyce JH, Dang B, Ary B, Edmondson Q, Craik CS, DeGrado WF, Seiple IB. Platform to Discover Protease-Activated Antibiotics and Application to Siderophore-Antibiotic Conjugates. J Am Chem Soc 2020; 142:21310-21321. [PMID: 33301681 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c06987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Here we present a platform for discovery of protease-activated prodrugs and apply it to antibiotics that target Gram-negative bacteria. Because cleavable linkers for prodrugs had not been developed for bacterial proteases, we used substrate phage to discover substrates for proteases found in the bacterial periplasm. Rather than focusing on a single protease, we used a periplasmic extract of E. coli to find sequences with the greatest susceptibility to the endogenous mixture of periplasmic proteases. Using a fluorescence assay, candidate sequences were evaluated to identify substrates that release native amine-containing payloads. We next designed conjugates consisting of (1) an N-terminal siderophore to facilitate uptake, (2) a protease-cleavable linker, and (3) an amine-containing antibiotic. Using this strategy, we converted daptomycin-which by itself is active only against Gram-positive bacteria-into an antibiotic capable of targeting Gram-negative Acinetobacter species. We similarly demonstrated siderophore-facilitated delivery of oxazolidinone and macrolide antibiotics into a number of Gram-negative species. These results illustrate this platform's utility for development of protease-activated prodrugs, including Trojan horse antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan H Boyce
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States.,Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Bobo Dang
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310024, China.,Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310024, China.,Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310024, China
| | - Beatrice Ary
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Quinn Edmondson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Charles S Craik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - William F DeGrado
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States.,Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Ian B Seiple
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States.,Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
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16
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Welch NG, Li W, Hossain MA, Separovic F, O'Brien-Simpson NM, Wade JD. (Re)Defining the Proline-Rich Antimicrobial Peptide Family and the Identification of Putative New Members. Front Chem 2020; 8:607769. [PMID: 33335890 PMCID: PMC7736402 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.607769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
As we rapidly approach a post-antibiotic era in which multi-drug resistant bacteria are ever-pervasive, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a promising class of compounds to help address this global issue. AMPs are best-known for their membrane-disruptive mode of action leading to bacteria cell lysis and death. However, many AMPs are also known to be non-lytic and have intracellular modes of action. Proline-rich AMPs (PrAMPs) are one such class, that are generally membrane permeable and inhibit protein synthesis leading to a bactericidal outcome. PrAMPs are highly effective against Gram-negative bacteria and yet show very low toxicity against eukaryotic cells. Here, we review both the PrAMP family and the past and current definitions for this class of peptides. Computational analysis of known AMPs within the DRAMP database (http://dramp.cpu-bioinfor.org/) and assessment of their PrAMP-like properties have led us to develop a revised definition of the PrAMP class. As a result, we subsequently identified a number of unknown and unclassified peptides containing motifs of striking similarity to known PrAMP-based DnaK inhibitors and propose a series of new sequences for experimental evaluation and subsequent addition to the PrAMP family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas G Welch
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Wenyi Li
- Centre for Oral Health Research, Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Mohammed Akhter Hossain
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Frances Separovic
- School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Neil M O'Brien-Simpson
- Centre for Oral Health Research, Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - John D Wade
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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17
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Mining and Statistical Modeling of Natural and Variant Class IIa Bacteriocins Elucidate Activity and Selectivity Profiles across Species. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 86:AEM.01646-20. [PMID: 32917749 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01646-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Class IIa bacteriocin antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a compelling alternative to current antimicrobials because of potential specific activity toward antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including vancomycin-resistant enterococci. Engineering of these molecules would be enhanced by a better understanding of AMP sequence-activity relationships to improve efficacy in vivo and limit effects of off-target activity. Toward this goal, we experimentally evaluated 210 natural and variant class IIa bacteriocins for antimicrobial activity against six strains of enterococci. Inhibitory activity was ridge regressed to AMP sequence to predict performance, achieving an area under the curve of 0.70 and demonstrating the potential of statistical models for identifying and designing AMPs. Active AMPs were individually produced and evaluated against eight enterococcus strains and four Listeria strains to elucidate trends in susceptibility. It was determined that the mannose phosphotransferase system (manPTS) sequence is informative of susceptibility to class IIa bacteriocins, yet other factors, such as membrane composition, also contribute strongly to susceptibility. A broadly potent bacteriocin variant (lactocin DT1) from a Lactobacillus ruminis genome was identified as the only variant with inhibitory activity toward all tested strains, while a novel enterocin variant (DT2) from an Enterococcus faecium genome demonstrated specificity toward Listeria strains. Eight AMPs were evaluated for proteolytic stability to trypsin, chymotrypsin, and pepsin, and three C-terminal disulfide-containing variants, including divercin V41, were identified as compelling for future in vivo studies, given their high potency and proteolytic stability.IMPORTANCE Class IIa bacteriocin antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), an alternative to traditional small-molecule antibiotics, are capable of selective activity toward various Gram-positive bacteria, limiting negative side effects associated with broad-spectrum activity. This selective activity is achieved through targeting of the mannose phosphotransferase system (manPTS) of a subset of Gram-positive bacteria, although factors affecting this mechanism are not entirely understood. Peptides identified from genomic data, as well as variants of previously characterized AMPs, can offer insight into how peptide sequence affects activity and selectivity. The experimental methods presented here identify promising potent and selective bacteriocins for further evaluation, highlight the potential of simple computational modeling for prediction of AMP performance, and demonstrate that factors beyond manPTS sequence affect bacterial susceptibility to class IIa bacteriocins.
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18
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Azmi S, Verma NK, Tripathi JK, Srivastava S, Verma DP, Ghosh JK. Introduction of cell‐selectivity in bovine cathelicidin
BMAP
‐28 by exchanging heptadic isoleucine with the adjacent proline at a non‐heptadic position. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarfuddin Azmi
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division CSIR‐CDRI Lucknow India
- Scientific Research Centre Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Sulaimaniyah Riyadh Saudi Arabia
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19
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Mardirossian M, Sola R, Beckert B, Valencic E, Collis DWP, Borišek J, Armas F, Di Stasi A, Buchmann J, Syroegin EA, Polikanov YS, Magistrato A, Hilpert K, Wilson DN, Scocchi M. Peptide Inhibitors of Bacterial Protein Synthesis with Broad Spectrum and SbmA-Independent Bactericidal Activity against Clinical Pathogens. J Med Chem 2020; 63:9590-9602. [PMID: 32787108 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (PrAMPs) are promising lead compounds for developing new antimicrobials; however, their narrow spectrum of action is limiting. PrAMPs kill bacteria binding to their ribosomes and inhibiting protein synthesis. In this study, 133 derivatives of the PrAMP Bac7(1-16) were synthesized to identify the crucial residues for ribosome inactivation and antimicrobial activity. Then, five new Bac7(1-16) derivatives were conceived and characterized by antibacterial and membrane permeabilization assays, X-ray crystallography, and molecular dynamics simulations. Some derivatives displayed broad spectrum activity, encompassing Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumanii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. Two peptides out of five acquired a weak membrane-perturbing activity while maintaining the ability to inhibit protein synthesis. These derivatives became independent of the SbmA transporter, commonly used by native PrAMPs, suggesting that they obtained a novel route to enter bacterial cells. PrAMP-derived compounds could become new-generation antimicrobials to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Mardirossian
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, 34125 Trieste, Italy
| | - Riccardo Sola
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Bertrand Beckert
- Institut für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Erica Valencic
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health-IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", 30137 Trieste, Italy
| | | | | | - Federica Armas
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Adriana Di Stasi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Jan Buchmann
- Institut für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | - Egor A Syroegin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | - Yury S Polikanov
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | | | - Kai Hilpert
- Institute of Infection and Immunology, St. George's, University of London, SW 17 0RE London, U.K
| | - Daniel N Wilson
- Institut für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marco Scocchi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
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