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Pandurangi R, Karwa A, Sagaram US, Henzler-Wildman K, Shah D. Medicago Sativa Defensin1 as a tumor sensitizer for improving chemotherapy: translation from anti-fungal agent to a potential anti-cancer agent. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1141755. [PMID: 37305575 PMCID: PMC10251204 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1141755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant defensins including Medicago Sativa defensin 1 (MsDef1) are cysteine-rich antifungal peptides which are known for potent broad-spectrum antifungal activity against bacterial or fungal pathogens of plants. The antimicrobial activities of these cationic defensins are attributed to their capacity to bind to cell membranes to create potentially structural defects tin the cell membranes to interact with intracellular target (s) and mediates cytotoxic effects. Our earlier work identified Glucosylceramide (GlcCer) of fungus F. graminearum as a potential target for biological activity. Multi-drug resistant (MDR) cancer cells overexpress GlcCer on the surface of plasma membrane. Hence, MsDef1 may have a potential to bind to GlcCer of MDR cancer cells to induce cell death. We have characterized the three-dimensional structure of MsDef1 and the solution dynamics using of 15N-labeled MsDef1 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy which showed that GlcCer binds MsDef1 at two specific sites on the peptide molecule. The ability of MsDef1 to permeate MDR cancer cells was demonstrated by measuring the release of apoptotic ceramide in drug resistant MCF-7R cells. It was also shown that MsDef1 activated dual cell death pathways ceramide and Apoptosis Stimulating Kinase ASK1 by disintegrating GlcCer and oxidizing tumor specific biomarker thioredoxin (Trx) respectively. As a result, MsDef1 sensitizes MDR cancer cells to evoke a better response from Doxorubicin, a front-line chemotherapy for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) treatment. The combination of MsDef1 and Doxorubicin induced 5 to10-fold greater apoptosis in vitro MDR cells MDA-MB-231R compared to either MsDef1 or Doxorubicin alone. Confocal microscopy revealed that MsDef1 facilitates a) influx of Doxorubicin in MDR cancer cells, b) preferential uptake by MDR cells but not by normal fibroblasts and breast epithelial cells (MCF-10A). These results suggest that MsDef1 targets MDR cancer cells and may find utility as a neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Hence, the extension of antifungal properties of MsDef1 to cancer my result in addressing the MDR problems in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raghu Pandurangi
- Sci-Engi-Medco Solutions Inc (SEMCO), St Charles, MO, United States
| | - Amol Karwa
- Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Hazelwood, MO, United States
| | - Uma Shankar Sagaram
- DeLuca Biochemistry Laboratories, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | | | - Dilip Shah
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, MO, United States
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2
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Histidine 19 Residue Is Essential for Cell Internalization of Antifungal Peptide SmAPα1-21 Derived from the α-Core of the Silybum marianum Defensin DefSm2-D in Fusarium graminearum. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11111501. [PMID: 36358156 PMCID: PMC9686561 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11111501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The synthetic peptide SmAPα1-21 (KLCEKPSKTWFGNCGNPRHCG) derived from DefSm2-D defensin α-core is active at micromolar concentrations against the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium graminearum and has a multistep mechanism of action that includes alteration of the fungal cell wall and membrane permeabilization. Here, we continued the study of this peptide’s mode of action and explored the correlation between the biological activity and its primary structure. Transmission electron microscopy was used to study the ultrastructural effects of SmAPα1-21 in conidial cells. New peptides were designed by modifying the parent peptide SmAPα1-21 (SmAPH19R and SmAPH19A, where His19 was replaced by Arg or Ala, respectively) and synthesized by the Fmoc solid phase method. Antifungal activity was determined against F. graminearum. Membrane permeability and subcellular localization in conidia were studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was assessed by fluorescence spectroscopy and CLSM. SmAPα1-21 induced peroxisome biogenesis and oxidative stress through ROS production in F. graminearum and was internalized into the conidial cells’ cytoplasm. SmAPH19R and SmAPH19A were active against F. graminearum with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 38 and 100 µM for SmAPH19R and SmAPH19A, respectively. The replacement of His19 by Ala produced a decrease in the net charge with a significant increase in the MIC, thus evidencing the importance of the positive charge in position 19 of the antifungal peptide. Like SmAPα1-21, SmAP2H19A and SmAP2H19R produced the permeabilization of the conidia membrane and induced oxidative stress through ROS production. However, SmAPH19R and SmAPH19A were localized in the conidia cell wall. The replacement of His19 by Ala turned all the processes slower. The extracellular localization of peptides SmAPH19R and SmAPH19A highlights the role of the His19 residue in the internalization.
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3
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Vasconcelos AA, Succar BB, di Piero LB, Kurtenbach E, Zingali RB, Almeida FCL. 15N, 13C, and 1H resonance assignments of Jarastatin: a disintegrin of Bothrops jararaca. BIOMOLECULAR NMR ASSIGNMENTS 2022; 16:37-40. [PMID: 34826102 DOI: 10.1007/s12104-021-10056-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Disintegrins are a group of cysteine-rich proteins found in a wide variety of snake venoms. These proteins selectively bind to integrins, which play a fundamental role in the regulation of many physiological and pathological processes. Here, we report the NMR chemical shift assignments for 1H, 15N, and 13C nuclei in the backbone and side chains of recombinant disintegrin Jarastatin (rJast), which was further validated by secondary structure prediction using the TALOS-N server. Taken together, these data are essential to perform NMR-based experiments, including structure determination, backbone dynamics, mapping ligand sites and enabling a deeper understanding of the effect of hydrophobic surface clusters, which are important elements to stabilize some 3D proteins structure/folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariana Azevedo Vasconcelos
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry (IBqM) Leopoldo de Meis, National Center of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Jiri Jonas, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- National Center of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CNRMN), Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Barbara Barbosa Succar
- Laboratório de Hemostase e Venenos, Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis (IBqM), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Bartkevihi di Piero
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry (IBqM) Leopoldo de Meis, National Center of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Jiri Jonas, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- National Center of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CNRMN), Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Eleonora Kurtenbach
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Bioquímica de Proteínas (LBMBP), Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Russolina Benedeta Zingali
- Laboratório de Hemostase e Venenos, Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis (IBqM), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Fabio C L Almeida
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry (IBqM) Leopoldo de Meis, National Center of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Jiri Jonas, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- National Center of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CNRMN), Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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4
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Structural and functional studies of LaIT2, an antimicrobial and insecticidal peptide from Liocheles australasiae. Toxicon 2022; 214:8-17. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2022.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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5
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Bukhteeva I, Hrunyk NI, Yusypovych YM, Shalovylo YI, Kovaleva V, Nesmelova IV. Structure, dynamics, and function of PsDef2 defensin from Pinus sylvestris. Structure 2022; 30:753-762.e5. [PMID: 35334207 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2022.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Plant defensins demonstrate high structural stability at extreme temperatures and pH values and, in general, are non-toxic to mammalian cells. These properties make them attractive candidates for use in biotechnology and biomedicine. Knowing the structure-function relationship is desirable to guide the design of plant defensin-based applications. Thus far, the broad range of biological activities was described only for one defensin from gymnosperms, the defensin PsDef1 from Scots pine. Here, we report that closely related defensin from the same taxonomy group, PsDef2, differing from PsDef1 by six amino acids, also possesses antimicrobial, antibacterial, and insect α-amylase inhibitory activities. We also report the solution structure and dynamics properties of PsDef2 assessed using a combination of experimental nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. Lastly, we perform a comparative analysis of PsDef2 and PsDef1 gaining a molecular-level insight into their structure-dynamics-function relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Bukhteeva
- Department of Physics and Optical Science, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Natalia I Hrunyk
- The Laboratory of Molecular Genetic Markers in Plants, Ukrainian National Forestry University, Lviv 79057, Ukraine
| | - Yuri M Yusypovych
- The Laboratory of Molecular Genetic Markers in Plants, Ukrainian National Forestry University, Lviv 79057, Ukraine
| | - Yulia I Shalovylo
- The Laboratory of Molecular Genetic Markers in Plants, Ukrainian National Forestry University, Lviv 79057, Ukraine
| | - Valentina Kovaleva
- The Laboratory of Molecular Genetic Markers in Plants, Ukrainian National Forestry University, Lviv 79057, Ukraine
| | - Irina V Nesmelova
- Department of Physics and Optical Science, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA.
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6
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Yang MJ, Kim J, Lee Y, Lee W, Park CJ. NMR Structure and Biophysical Characterization of Thermophilic Single-Stranded DNA Binding Protein from Sulfolobus Solfataricus. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23063099. [PMID: 35328522 PMCID: PMC8954794 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteins from Sulfolobus solfataricus (S. solfataricus), an extremophile, are active even at high temperatures. The single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) binding protein of S. solfataricus (SsoSSB) is overexpressed to protect ssDNA during DNA metabolism. Although SsoSSB has the potential to be applied in various areas, its structural and ssDNA binding properties at high temperatures have not been studied. We present the solution structure, backbone dynamics, and ssDNA binding properties of SsoSSB at 50 °C. The overall structure is consistent with the structures previously studied at room temperature. However, the loop between the first two β sheets, which is flexible and is expected to undergo conformational change upon ssDNA binding, shows a difference from the ssDNA bound structure. The ssDNA binding ability was maintained at high temperature, but different interactions were observed depending on the temperature. Backbone dynamics at high temperature showed that the rigidity of the structured region was well maintained. The investigation of an N-terminal deletion mutant revealed that it is important for maintaining thermostability, structure, and ssDNA binding ability. The structural and dynamic properties of SsoSSB observed at high temperature can provide information on the behavior of proteins in thermophiles at the molecular level and guide the development of new experimental techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min June Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Korea; (M.J.Y.); (J.K.)
| | - Jinwoo Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Korea; (M.J.Y.); (J.K.)
| | - Yeongjoon Lee
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA;
| | - Woonghee Lee
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA;
- Correspondence: (W.L.); (C.-J.P.); Tel.: +1-303-315-7672 (W.L.); +82-62-715-3630 (C.-J.P.)
| | - Chin-Ju Park
- Department of Chemistry, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Korea; (M.J.Y.); (J.K.)
- Correspondence: (W.L.); (C.-J.P.); Tel.: +1-303-315-7672 (W.L.); +82-62-715-3630 (C.-J.P.)
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7
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Corrêa-Almeida C, Borba-Santos LP, Rollin-Pinheiro R, Barreto-Bergter E, Rozental S, Kurtenbach E. Characterization of Aspergillus nidulans Biofilm Formation and Structure and Their Inhibition by Pea Defensin Psd2. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:795255. [PMID: 35155575 PMCID: PMC8830917 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.795255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Approximately four million people contract fungal infections every year in Brazil, primarily caused by Aspergillus spp. The ability of these fungi to form biofilms in tissues and medical devices complicates treatment and contributes to high rates of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Psd2 is a pea defensin of 5.4 kDa that possesses good antifungal activity against planktonic cells of representative pathogenic fungi. Its function depends on interactions with membrane and cell wall lipid components such as glucosylceramide and ergosterol. In the present study, we characterized Aspergillus nidulans biofilm formation and determined the effect of Psd2 on A. nidulans biofilms. After 4 hours, A. nidulans conidia adhered to polystyrene surfaces and formed a robust extracellular matrix-producing biofilm at 24 h, increasing thickness until 48 h Psd2 inhibited A. nidulans biofilm formation in a dose-dependent manner. Most notably, at 10 μM Psd2 inhibited 50% of biofilm viability and biomass and 40% of extracellular matrix production. Psd2 significantly decreased the colonized surface area by the biofilm and changed its level of organization, causing a shortening of length and diameter of hyphae and inhibition of conidiophore formation. This activity against A. nidulans biofilm suggests a potential use of Psd2 as a prototype to design new antifungal agents to prevent biofilm formation by A. nidulans and related species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Corrêa-Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Bioquímica de Proteínas, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Estrutural, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Luana P. Borba-Santos
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular de Fungos, Programa de Parasitologia e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Rodrigo Rollin-Pinheiro
- Laboratório de Química Biológica de Microrganismos, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Eliana Barreto-Bergter
- Laboratório de Química Biológica de Microrganismos, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Sonia Rozental
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular de Fungos, Programa de Parasitologia e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Eleonora Kurtenbach
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Bioquímica de Proteínas, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Estrutural, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- *Correspondence: Eleonora Kurtenbach,
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8
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Bin Hafeez A, Jiang X, Bergen PJ, Zhu Y. Antimicrobial Peptides: An Update on Classifications and Databases. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:11691. [PMID: 34769122 PMCID: PMC8583803 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are distributed across all kingdoms of life and are an indispensable component of host defenses. They consist of predominantly short cationic peptides with a wide variety of structures and targets. Given the ever-emerging resistance of various pathogens to existing antimicrobial therapies, AMPs have recently attracted extensive interest as potential therapeutic agents. As the discovery of new AMPs has increased, many databases specializing in AMPs have been developed to collect both fundamental and pharmacological information. In this review, we summarize the sources, structures, modes of action, and classifications of AMPs. Additionally, we examine current AMP databases, compare valuable computational tools used to predict antimicrobial activity and mechanisms of action, and highlight new machine learning approaches that can be employed to improve AMP activity to combat global antimicrobial resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmer Bin Hafeez
- Centre of Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan;
| | - Xukai Jiang
- Infection and Immunity Program, Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia; (X.J.); (P.J.B.)
- National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Phillip J. Bergen
- Infection and Immunity Program, Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia; (X.J.); (P.J.B.)
| | - Yan Zhu
- Infection and Immunity Program, Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia; (X.J.); (P.J.B.)
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9
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Sanches K, Wai DCC, Norton RS. Conformational dynamics in peptide toxins: Implications for receptor interactions and molecular design. Toxicon 2021; 201:127-140. [PMID: 34454969 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Peptide toxins are potent and often exquisitely selective probes of the structure and function of ion channels and receptors, and are therefore of significant interest to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries as both pharmacological tools and therapeutic leads. The three-dimensional structures of peptide toxins are essential as a basis for understanding their structure-activity relationships and their binding to target receptors, as well as in guiding the design of analogues with modified potency and/or selectivity for key targets. NMR spectroscopy has played a key role in elucidating the structures of peptide toxins and probing their structure-function relationships. In this article, we highlight the additional important contribution of NMR to characterising the dynamics of peptide toxins. We also compare the information available from NMR measurements with that afforded by molecular dynamics simulations. We describe several examples of the importance of dynamics measurements over a range of timescales for understanding the structure-function relationships of peptide toxins and their receptor engagement. Peptide toxins that inhibit the voltage-gated potassium channel KV1.3 with pM affinities display different degrees of conformational flexibility, even though they contain multiple disulfide bonds, and this flexibility can affect the relative orientation of residues that have been shown to be critical for channel binding. Information on the dynamic properties of peptide toxins is important in the design of analogues or mimetics where receptor-bound structures are not available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karoline Sanches
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia; ARC Centre for Fragment-Based Design, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Dorothy C C Wai
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Raymond S Norton
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia; ARC Centre for Fragment-Based Design, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia.
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10
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Almeida FCL, Sanches K, Pinheiro-Aguiar R, Almeida VS, Caruso IP. Protein Surface Interactions-Theoretical and Experimental Studies. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:706002. [PMID: 34307462 PMCID: PMC8298896 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.706002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we briefly describe a theoretical discussion of protein folding, presenting the relative contribution of the hydrophobic effect versus the stabilization of proteins via direct surface forces that sometimes may be overlooked. We present NMR-based studies showing the stability of proteins lacking a hydrophobic core which in turn present hydrophobic surface clusters, such as plant defensins. Protein dynamics measurements by NMR are the key feature to understand these dynamic surface clusters. We contextualize the measurement of protein dynamics by nuclear relaxation and the information available at protein surfaces and water cavities. We also discuss the presence of hydrophobic surface clusters in multidomain proteins and their participation in transient interactions which may regulate the function of these proteins. In the end, we discuss how surface interaction regulates the reactivity of certain protein post-translational modifications, such as S-nitrosation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio C L Almeida
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry-IBqM, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO)/National Center for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CNRMN), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Karoline Sanches
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry-IBqM, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO)/National Center for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CNRMN), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Multiuser Center for Biomolecular Innovation (CMIB), Institute of Biosciences, Letters and Exact Sciences (IBILCE), São Paulo State University "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ramon Pinheiro-Aguiar
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry-IBqM, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO)/National Center for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CNRMN), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Vitor S Almeida
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry-IBqM, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO)/National Center for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CNRMN), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Icaro P Caruso
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry-IBqM, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO)/National Center for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CNRMN), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Multiuser Center for Biomolecular Innovation (CMIB), Institute of Biosciences, Letters and Exact Sciences (IBILCE), São Paulo State University "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), São Paulo, Brazil
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11
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Nelson BN, Beakley SG, Posey S, Conn B, Maritz E, Seshu J, Wozniak KL. Antifungal activity of dendritic cell lysosomal proteins against Cryptococcus neoformans. Sci Rep 2021; 11:13619. [PMID: 34193926 PMCID: PMC8245489 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92991-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryptococcal meningitis is a life-threatening disease among immune compromised individuals that is caused by the opportunistic fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Previous studies have shown that the fungus is phagocytosed by dendritic cells (DCs) and trafficked to the lysosome where it is killed by both oxidative and non-oxidative mechanisms. While certain molecules from the lysosome are known to kill or inhibit the growth of C. neoformans, the lysosome is an organelle containing many different proteins and enzymes that are designed to degrade phagocytosed material. We hypothesized that multiple lysosomal components, including cysteine proteases and antimicrobial peptides, could inhibit the growth of C. neoformans. Our study identified the contents of the DC lysosome and examined the anti-cryptococcal properties of different proteins found within the lysosome. Results showed several DC lysosomal proteins affected the growth of C. neoformans in vitro. The proteins that killed or inhibited the fungus did so in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the concentration of protein needed for cryptococcal inhibition was found to be non-cytotoxic to mammalian cells. These data show that many DC lysosomal proteins have antifungal activity and have potential as immune-based therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin N Nelson
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University, 307 Life Science East, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Savannah G Beakley
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University, 307 Life Science East, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Sierra Posey
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University, 307 Life Science East, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Brittney Conn
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University, 307 Life Science East, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Emma Maritz
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University, 307 Life Science East, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Janakiram Seshu
- Department of Biology, South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Karen L Wozniak
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University, 307 Life Science East, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA.
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12
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Struyfs C, Cammue BPA, Thevissen K. Membrane-Interacting Antifungal Peptides. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:649875. [PMID: 33912564 PMCID: PMC8074791 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.649875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The incidence of invasive fungal infections is increasing worldwide, resulting in more than 1.6 million deaths every year. Due to growing antifungal drug resistance and the limited number of currently used antimycotics, there is a clear need for novel antifungal strategies. In this context, great potential is attributed to antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are part of the innate immune system of organisms. These peptides are known for their broad-spectrum activity that can be directed toward bacteria, fungi, viruses, and/or even cancer cells. Some AMPs act via rapid physical disruption of microbial cell membranes at high concentrations causing cell leakage and cell death. However, more complex mechanisms are also observed, such as interaction with specific lipids, production of reactive oxygen species, programmed cell death, and autophagy. This review summarizes the structure and mode of action of antifungal AMPs, thereby focusing on their interaction with fungal membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Struyfs
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bruno P A Cammue
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Karin Thevissen
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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13
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Fernández A, Colombo ML, Curto LM, Gómez GE, Delfino JM, Guzmán F, Bakás L, Malbrán I, Vairo-Cavalli SE. Peptides Derived From the α-Core and γ-Core Regions of a Putative Silybum marianum Flower Defensin Show Antifungal Activity Against Fusarium graminearum. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:632008. [PMID: 33679660 PMCID: PMC7925638 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.632008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusarium graminearum is the etiological agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB), a disease that produces a significant decrease in wheat crop yield and it is further aggravated by the presence of mycotoxins in the affected grains that may cause health problems to humans and animals. Plant defensins and defensin-like proteins are antimicrobial peptides (AMPs); they are small basic, cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs) ubiquitously expressed in the plant kingdom and mostly involved in host defence. They present a highly variable sequence but a conserved structure. The γ-core located in the C-terminal region of plant defensins has a conserved β-hairpin structure and is a well-known determinant of the antimicrobial activity among disulphide-containing AMPs. Another conserved motif of plant defensins is the α-core located in the N-terminal region, not conserved among the disulphide-containing AMPs, it has not been yet extensively studied. In this report, we have cloned the putative antimicrobial protein DefSm2, expressed in flowers of the wild plant Silybum marianum. The cDNA encodes a protein with two fused basic domains of an N-terminal defensin domain (DefSm2-D) and a C-terminal Arg-rich and Lys-rich domain. To further characterize the DefSm2-D domain, we built a 3D template-based model that will serve to support the design of novel antifungal peptides. We have designed four potential antifungal peptides: two from the DefSm2-D α-core region (SmAPα1-21 and SmAPα10-21) and two from the γ-core region (SmAPγ27-44 and SmAPγ29-35). We have chemically synthesized and purified the peptides and further characterized them by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. SmAPα1-21, SmAPα10-21, and SmAPγ27-44 inhibited the growth of the phytopathogen F. graminearum at low micromolar concentrations. Conidia exposure to the fungicidal concentration of the peptides caused membrane permeabilization to the fluorescent probe propidium iodide (PI), suggesting that this is one of the main contributing factors in fungal cell killing. Furthermore, conidia treated for 0.5h showed cytoplasmic disorganization as observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Remarkably, the peptides derived from the α-core induced morphological changes on the conidia cell wall, which is a promising target since its distinctive biochemical and structural organization is absent in plant and mammalian cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustina Fernández
- CIPROVE-Centro Asociado CIC, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Laura Colombo
- CIPROVE-Centro Asociado CIC, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Lucrecia M Curto
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológicas (IQUIFIB), Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriela E Gómez
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológicas (IQUIFIB), Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - José M Delfino
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológicas (IQUIFIB), Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Fanny Guzmán
- Núcleo de Biotecnología Curauma (NBC), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Laura Bakás
- CIPROVE-Centro Asociado CIC, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina.,Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CIC), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ismael Malbrán
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Centro de Investigaciones de Fitopatología (CIDEFI-UNLP-CIC), Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Sandra E Vairo-Cavalli
- CIPROVE-Centro Asociado CIC, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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14
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Plant Defensins from a Structural Perspective. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21155307. [PMID: 32722628 PMCID: PMC7432377 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21155307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant defensins form a family of proteins with a broad spectrum of protective activities against fungi, bacteria, and insects. Furthermore, some plant defensins have revealed anticancer activity. In general, plant defensins are non-toxic to plant and mammalian cells, and interest in using them for biotechnological and medicinal purposes is growing. Recent studies provided significant insights into the mechanisms of action of plant defensins. In this review, we focus on structural and dynamics aspects and discuss structure-dynamics-function relations of plant defensins.
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15
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Antifungal and anti-biofilm activity of designed derivatives from kyotorphin. Fungal Biol 2020; 124:316-326. [DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2019.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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16
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do Amaral VSG, Santos SACS, de Andrade PC, Nowatzki J, Júnior NS, de Medeiros LN, Gitirana LB, Pascutti PG, Almeida VH, Monteiro RQ, Kurtenbach E. Pisum sativum Defensin 1 Eradicates Mouse Metastatic Lung Nodules from B16F10 Melanoma Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E2662. [PMID: 32290394 PMCID: PMC7219108 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21082662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Psd1 is a pea plant defensin which can be actively expressed in Pichia pastoris and shows broad antifungal activity. This activity is dependent on fungal membrane glucosylceramide (GlcCer), which is also important for its internalization, nuclear localization, and endoreduplication. Certain cancer cells present a lipid metabolism imbalance resulting in the overexpression of GlcCer in their membrane. In this work, in vitroassays using B16F10 cells showed that labeled fluorescein isothiocyanate FITC-Psd1 internalized into live cultured cells and targeted the nucleus, which underwent fragmentation, exhibiting approximately 60% of cells in the sub-G0/G1 stage. This phenomenon was dependent on GlcCer, and the participation of cyclin-F was suggested. In a murine lung metastatic melanoma model, intravenous injection of Psd1 together with B16F10 cells drastically reduced the number of nodules at concentrations above 0.5 mg/kg. Additionally, the administration of 1 mg/kg Psd1 decreased the number of lung inflammatory cells to near zero without weight loss, unlike animals that received melanoma cells only. It is worth noting that 1 mg/kg Psd1 alone did not provoke inflammation in lung tissue or weight or vital signal losses over 21 days, inferring no whole animal cytotoxicity. These results suggest that Psd1 could be a promising prototype for human lung anti-metastatic melanoma therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Sara Grancieri do Amaral
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brasil; (V.S.G.d.A.); (S.A.C.S.S.); (P.C.d.A.); (J.N.); (N.S.J.); (L.N.d.M.); (P.G.P.)
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brasil; (V.H.A.); (R.Q.M.)
| | - Stephanie Alexia Cristina Silva Santos
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brasil; (V.S.G.d.A.); (S.A.C.S.S.); (P.C.d.A.); (J.N.); (N.S.J.); (L.N.d.M.); (P.G.P.)
| | - Paula Cavalcante de Andrade
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brasil; (V.S.G.d.A.); (S.A.C.S.S.); (P.C.d.A.); (J.N.); (N.S.J.); (L.N.d.M.); (P.G.P.)
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brasil; (V.H.A.); (R.Q.M.)
| | - Jenifer Nowatzki
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brasil; (V.S.G.d.A.); (S.A.C.S.S.); (P.C.d.A.); (J.N.); (N.S.J.); (L.N.d.M.); (P.G.P.)
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brasil; (V.H.A.); (R.Q.M.)
| | - Nilton Silva Júnior
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brasil; (V.S.G.d.A.); (S.A.C.S.S.); (P.C.d.A.); (J.N.); (N.S.J.); (L.N.d.M.); (P.G.P.)
| | - Luciano Neves de Medeiros
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brasil; (V.S.G.d.A.); (S.A.C.S.S.); (P.C.d.A.); (J.N.); (N.S.J.); (L.N.d.M.); (P.G.P.)
| | - Lycia Brito Gitirana
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brasil;
| | - Pedro Geraldo Pascutti
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brasil; (V.S.G.d.A.); (S.A.C.S.S.); (P.C.d.A.); (J.N.); (N.S.J.); (L.N.d.M.); (P.G.P.)
| | - Vitor H. Almeida
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brasil; (V.H.A.); (R.Q.M.)
| | - Robson Q. Monteiro
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brasil; (V.H.A.); (R.Q.M.)
| | - Eleonora Kurtenbach
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brasil; (V.S.G.d.A.); (S.A.C.S.S.); (P.C.d.A.); (J.N.); (N.S.J.); (L.N.d.M.); (P.G.P.)
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17
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Munusamy S, Conde R, Bertrand B, Munoz-Garay C. Biophysical approaches for exploring lipopeptide-lipid interactions. Biochimie 2020; 170:173-202. [PMID: 31978418 PMCID: PMC7116911 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2020.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, lipopeptides (LPs) have attracted a lot of attention in the pharmaceutical industry due to their broad-spectrum of antimicrobial activity against a variety of pathogens and their unique mode of action. This class of compounds has enormous potential for application as an alternative to conventional antibiotics and for pest control. Understanding how LPs work from a structural and biophysical standpoint through investigating their interaction with cell membranes is crucial for the rational design of these biomolecules. Various analytical techniques have been developed for studying intramolecular interactions with high resolution. However, these tools have been barely exploited in lipopeptide-lipid interactions studies. These biophysical approaches would give precise insight on these interactions. Here, we reviewed these state-of-the-art analytical techniques. Knowledge at this level is indispensable for understanding LPs activity and particularly their potential specificity, which is relevant information for safe application. Additionally, the principle of each analytical technique is presented and the information acquired is discussed. The key challenges, such as the selection of the membrane model are also been briefly reviewed. A brief overview of topics to understand the generalities of lipopeptide (LP) science. Main analytical techniques used to reveal the interaction and the distorting effect of LP on artificial membranes. Guidelines for selecting of the most adequate membrane models for the given analytical technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sathishkumar Munusamy
- Instituto de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Col. Chamilpa, 62210, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Renaud Conde
- Centro de Investigación Sobre Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Brandt Bertrand
- Instituto de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Col. Chamilpa, 62210, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Carlos Munoz-Garay
- Instituto de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Col. Chamilpa, 62210, Cuernavaca, Mexico.
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18
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Pinheiro-Aguiar R, do Amaral VSG, Pereira IB, Kurtenbach E, Almeida FCL. Nuclear magnetic resonance solution structure of Pisum sativum defensin 2 provides evidence for the presence of hydrophobic surface-clusters. Proteins 2020; 88:242-246. [PMID: 31294889 DOI: 10.1002/prot.25783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Revised: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Pisum sativum defensin 2 (Psd2) is a small (4.7 kDa) antifungal peptide whose structure is held together by four conserved disulfide bridges. Psd2 shares the cysteine-stabilized alpha-beta (CSαβ) fold, which lacks a regular hydrophobic core. All hydrophobic residues are exposed to the surface, except for leucine 6. They are clustered in the surface formed by two loops, between β1 and α-helix and β2 and β3 sheets. The observation of surface hydrophobic clusters reveals a remarkable evolution of the CSαβ fold to expose and reorganize hydrophobic residues, which facilitates creating versatile binding sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramon Pinheiro-Aguiar
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Virginia S G do Amaral
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Iuri B Pereira
- Campus Macaé Professor Aloísio Teixeira, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Eleonora Kurtenbach
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Fabio C L Almeida
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
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19
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Characterization, expression profiling, and functional analysis of a Populus trichocarpa defensin gene and its potential as an anti-Agrobacterium rooting medium additive. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15359. [PMID: 31653915 PMCID: PMC6814764 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51762-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The diverse antimicrobial properties of defensins have attracted wide scientific interest in recent years. Also, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), including cecropins, histatins, defensins, and cathelicidins, have recently become an antimicrobial research hotspot for their broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activities. In addition, defensins play important roles in plant growth, development, and physiological metabolism, and demonstrate tissue specificity and regulation in response to pathogen attack or abiotic stress. In this study, we performed molecular cloning, characterization, expression profiling, and functional analysis of a defensin from Populus trichocarpa. The PtDef protein was highly expressed in the prokaryotic Escherichia coli system as a fusion protein (TrxA–PtDef). The purified protein exhibited strong antibacterial and antifungal functions. We then applied PtDef to rooting culture medium as an alternative exogenous additive to cefotaxime. PtDef expression levels increased significantly following both biotic and abiotic treatment. The degree of leaf damage observed in wild-type (WT) and transgenic poplars indicates that transgenic poplars that overexpress the PtDef gene gain enhanced disease resistance to Septotis populiperda. To further study the salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) signal transduction pathways, SA- and JA-related and pathogenesis-related genes were analyzed using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction; there were significant differences in these pathways between transgenic and WT poplars. The defensin from Populus trichocarpa showed significant activity of anti-bacteria and anti-fungi. According to the results of qRT-PCR and physiological relevant indicators, the applied PtDef to rooting culture medium was chosen as an alternative exogenous additive to cefotaxime. Overexpressing the PtDef gene in poplar improve the disease resistance to Septotis populiperda.
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20
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Zuo Y, Chang Y, Huang S, Zheng L, Yang L, Cao G. iDEF-PseRAAC: Identifying the Defensin Peptide by Using Reduced Amino Acid Composition Descriptor. Evol Bioinform Online 2019; 15:1176934319867088. [PMID: 31391777 PMCID: PMC6669840 DOI: 10.1177/1176934319867088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Defensins as 1 of major classes of host defense peptides play a significant role in the innate immunity, which are extremely evolved in almost all living organisms. Developing high-throughput computational methods can accurately help in designing drugs or medical means to defense against pathogens. To take up such a challenge, an up-to-date server based on rigorous benchmark dataset, referred to as iDEF-PseRAAC, was designed for predicting the defensin family in this study. By extracting primary sequence compositions based on different types of reduced amino acid alphabet, it was calculated that the best overall accuracy of the selected feature subset was achieved to 92.38%. Therefore, we can conclude that the information provided by abundant types of amino acid reduction will provide efficient and rational methodology for defensin identification. And, a free online server is freely available for academic users at http://bioinfor.imu.edu.cn/idpf. We hold expectations that iDEF-PseRAAC may be a promising weapon for the function annotation about the defensins protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongchun Zuo
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Yu Chang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Shenghui Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Lei Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Lei Yang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Guifang Cao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
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21
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Amaral VSG, Fernandes CM, Felício MR, Valle AS, Quintana PG, Almeida CC, Barreto-Bergter E, Gonçalves S, Santos NC, Kurtenbach E. Psd2 pea defensin shows a preference for mimetic membrane rafts enriched with glucosylceramide and ergosterol. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2019; 1861:713-728. [PMID: 30639288 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2018.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Psd2 is a pea defensin with 47 amino acid residues that inhibits the growth of fungal species by an uncharacterized mechanism. In this work, Psd2 interactions with model membranes mimicking the lipid compositions of different organisms were evaluated. Protein-lipid overlay assays indicated that Psd2 recognizes Fusarium solani glucosylceramide (GlcCerF.solani) and ergosterol (Erg) in addition to phosphatidylcholine (POPC) and some phosphatidylinositol species, such as PtdIns (3)P, (5)P and (3,5)P2, suggesting that these lipids may play important roles as Psd2 targets. Assays using lipid vesicles were also performed to study the behaviour and dynamics that occur after peptide-membrane interactions. Surface plasmon resonance analysis showed that Psd2 has a higher affinity for pure POPC and POPC-based vesicles containing GlcCer and Erg at a 70:30 proportion than for vesicles containing cholesterol (Chol). Partition experiments by fluorescence spectroscopy showed a decrease in Trp42 quantum yield of Psd2 in the presence of GlcCerF.solani and Erg, individually or in simultaneously enriched membranes. The partition coefficient (Kp) obtained indicated a Psd2 partition preference for this vesicles, confirmed by quenching assays using acrylamide and 5/16-doxyl-stearic acid. Furthermore, we showed that the presence of C8C9 double bonds and a methyl group at position C9 of the sphingoid base backbone of GlcCer was relevant to Psd2 activity against Aspergillus nidulans. These results are consistent with the selectivity of Psd2 against fungi and its lack of toxicity in human erythrocytes. Psd2 represents a promising natural compound for the treatment of fungal infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Sara Grancieri Amaral
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Mário R Felício
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Aline Sol Valle
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Paula G Quintana
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Caroline Correa Almeida
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Eliana Barreto-Bergter
- Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Goés, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Sónia Gonçalves
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Nuno C Santos
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Eleonora Kurtenbach
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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22
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Fast NMR method to probe solvent accessibility and disordered regions in proteins. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1647. [PMID: 30733478 PMCID: PMC6367444 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37599-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding protein structure and dynamics, which govern key cellular processes, is crucial for basic and applied research. Intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) regions display multifunctionality via alternative transient conformations, being key players in disease mechanisms. IDP regions are abundant, namely in small viruses, allowing a large number of functions out of a small proteome. The relation between protein function and structure is thus now seen from a different perspective: as IDP regions enable transient structural arrangements, each conformer can play different roles within the cell. However, as IDP regions are hard and time-consuming to study via classical techniques (optimized for globular proteins with unique conformations), new methods are required. Here, employing the dengue virus (DENV) capsid (C) protein and the immunoglobulin-binding domain of streptococcal protein G, we describe a straightforward NMR method to differentiate the solvent accessibility of single amino acid N-H groups in structured and IDP regions. We also gain insights into DENV C flexible fold region biological activity. The method, based on minimal pH changes, uses the well-established 1H-15N HSQC pulse sequence and is easily implementable in current protein NMR routines. The data generated are simple to interpret, with this rapid approach being an useful first-choice IDPs characterization method.
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23
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Machado LESF, De Paula VS, Pustovalova Y, Bezsonova I, Valente AP, Korzhnev DM, Almeida FCL. Conformational Dynamics of a Cysteine-Stabilized Plant Defensin Reveals an Evolutionary Mechanism to Expose Hydrophobic Residues. Biochemistry 2018; 57:5797-5806. [PMID: 30207151 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Sugar cane defensin 5 (Sd5) is a small antifungal protein, whose structure is held together by four conserved disulfide bridges. Sd5 and other proteins sharing a cysteine-stabilized α-β (CSαβ) fold lack a regular hydrophobic core. Instead, they are stabilized by tertiary contacts formed by surface-exposed hydrophilic and hydrophobic residues. Despite excessive cross-links, Sd5 exhibits complex millisecond conformational dynamics involving all secondary structure elements. We used Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) NMR relaxation dispersion (RD) measurements performed at different temperatures and denaturant concentrations to probe brief excursions of Sd5 to a sparsely populated "excited" state. Temperature-dependent CPMG RD experiments reveal that the excited state is enthalpically unfavorable, suggesting a rearrangement of stabilizing contacts formed by surface-exposed side chains and/or secondary structure, while the experiments performed at different denaturant concentrations suggest a decrease in accessible surface area of Sd5 in the excited state. The measured backbone 15N chemical shift changes point to a global conformational rearrangement such as a potential α- to β-transition of the Sd5 α-helix or other major secondary structure reorganization and concomitant conformational changes in other parts of the protein. Overall, the emerging picture of Sd5 dynamics suggests this protein can populate two alternative well-ordered conformational states, with the excited conformer being more compact than the native state and having a distinct secondary structure and side-chain arrangements. The observation of an energetically unfavorable yet more compact excited state reveals a remarkable evolution of the CSαβ fold to expose and reorganize hydrophobic residues, which enables the creation of versatile binding sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana E S F Machado
- Centro Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear de Macromoléculas, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica e Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO) , Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro 21941-902 , Brazil
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biophysics , University of Connecticut Health Center , Farmington , Connecticut 06030 , United States
| | - Viviane S De Paula
- Centro Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear de Macromoléculas, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica e Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO) , Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro 21941-902 , Brazil
| | - Yulia Pustovalova
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biophysics , University of Connecticut Health Center , Farmington , Connecticut 06030 , United States
| | - Irina Bezsonova
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biophysics , University of Connecticut Health Center , Farmington , Connecticut 06030 , United States
| | - Ana Paula Valente
- Centro Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear de Macromoléculas, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica e Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO) , Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro 21941-902 , Brazil
| | - Dmitry M Korzhnev
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biophysics , University of Connecticut Health Center , Farmington , Connecticut 06030 , United States
| | - Fabio C L Almeida
- Centro Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear de Macromoléculas, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica e Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO) , Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro 21941-902 , Brazil
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de Paula VS, Valente AP. A Dynamic Overview of Antimicrobial Peptides and Their Complexes. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23082040. [PMID: 30111717 PMCID: PMC6222744 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23082040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 08/05/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In this narrative review, we comprehensively review the available information about the recognition, structure, and dynamics of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Their complex behaviors occur across a wide range of time scales and have been challenging to portray. Recent advances in nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular dynamics simulations have revealed the importance of the molecular plasticity of AMPs and their abilities to recognize targets. We also highlight experimental data obtained using nuclear magnetic resonance methodologies, showing that conformational selection is a major mechanism of target interaction in AMP families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviane Silva de Paula
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
| | - Ana Paula Valente
- Centro de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica, Centro Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear Jiri Jonas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil.
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25
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Järvå M, Lay FT, Phan TK, Humble C, Poon IKH, Bleackley MR, Anderson MA, Hulett MD, Kvansakul M. X-ray structure of a carpet-like antimicrobial defensin-phospholipid membrane disruption complex. Nat Commun 2018; 9:1962. [PMID: 29773800 PMCID: PMC5958116 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04434-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Defensins are cationic antimicrobial peptides expressed throughout the plant and animal kingdoms as a first line of defense against pathogens. Membrane targeting and disruption is a crucial function of many defensins, however the precise mechanism remains unclear. Certain plant defensins form dimers that specifically bind the membrane phospholipids phosphatidic acid (PA) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, thereby triggering the assembly of defensin-lipid oligomers that permeabilize cell membranes. To understand this permeabilization mechanism, here we determine the crystal structure of the plant defensin NaD1 bound to PA. The structure reveals a 20-mer that adopts a concave sheet- or carpet-like topology where NaD1 dimers form one face and PA acyl chains form the other face of the sheet. Furthermore, we show that Arg39 is critical for PA binding, oligomerization and fungal cell killing. These findings identify a putative defensin-phospholipid membrane attack configuration that supports a longstanding proposed carpet mode of membrane disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Järvå
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Fung T Lay
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Thanh Kha Phan
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Cassandra Humble
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Ivan K H Poon
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Mark R Bleackley
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Marilyn A Anderson
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Mark D Hulett
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia.
| | - Marc Kvansakul
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia.
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26
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Souza GS, de Carvalho LP, de Melo EJT, Gomes VM, Carvalho ADO. The toxic effect of Vu-Defr, a defensin from Vigna unguiculata seeds, on Leishmania amazonensis is associated with reactive oxygen species production, mitochondrial dysfunction, and plasma membrane perturbation. Can J Microbiol 2018; 64:455-464. [PMID: 29586486 DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2018-0095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Plant defensins are plant antimicrobial peptides that present diverse biological activities in vitro, including the elimination of Leishmania amazonensis. Plant defensins are considered promising candidates for the development of new drugs. This protozoan genus has great epidemiological importance and the mechanism behind the protozoan death by defensins is unknown, thus, we chose L. amazonensis for this study. The aim of the work was to analyze the possible toxic mechanisms of Vu-Defr against L. amazonensis. For analyses, the antimicrobial assay was repeated as previously described, and after 24 h, an aliquot of the culture was tested for viability, membrane perturbation, mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) inductions. The results of these analyses indicated that after interaction with L. amazonensis, the Vu-Defr causes elimination of promastigotes from culture, membrane perturbation, mitochondrial membrane collapse, and ROS induction. Our analysis demonstrated that NO is not produced after Vu-Defr and L. amazonensis interaction. In conclusion, our work strives to help to fill the gap relating to effects caused by plant defensins on protozoan and thus better understand the mechanism of action of this peptide against L. amazonensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Géssika Silva Souza
- a Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Micro-organismos, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Lais Pessanha de Carvalho
- b Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Edésio José Tenório de Melo
- b Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Valdirene Moreira Gomes
- a Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Micro-organismos, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - André de Oliveira Carvalho
- a Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Micro-organismos, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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27
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Parisi K, Shafee TMA, Quimbar P, van der Weerden NL, Bleackley MR, Anderson MA. The evolution, function and mechanisms of action for plant defensins. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2018; 88:107-118. [PMID: 29432955 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2018.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2017] [Revised: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Plant defensins are an extensive family of small cysteine rich proteins characterised by a conserved cysteine stabilised alpha beta protein fold which resembles the structure of insect and vertebrate defensins. However, secondary structure and disulphide topology indicates two independent superfamilies of defensins with similar structures that have arisen via an extreme case of convergent evolution. Defensins from plants and insects belong to the cis-defensin superfamily whereas mammalian defensins belong to the trans-defensin superfamily. Plant defensins are produced by all species of plants and although the structure is highly conserved, the amino acid sequences are highly variable with the exception of the cysteine residues that form the stabilising disulphide bonds and a few other conserved residues. The majority of plant defensins are components of the plant innate immune system but others have evolved additional functions ranging from roles in sexual reproduction and development to metal tolerance. This review focuses on the antifungal mechanisms of plant defensins. The activity of plant defensins is not limited to plant pathogens and many of the described mechanisms have been elucidated using yeast models. These mechanisms are more complex than simple membrane permeabilisation induced by many small antimicrobial peptides. Common themes that run through the characterised mechanisms are interactions with specific lipids, production of reactive oxygen species and induction of cell wall stress. Links between sequence motifs and functions are highlighted where appropriate. The complexity of the interactions between plant defensins and fungi helps explain why this protein superfamily is ubiquitous in plant innate immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathy Parisi
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Thomas M A Shafee
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Pedro Quimbar
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nicole L van der Weerden
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mark R Bleackley
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Marilyn A Anderson
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
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28
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Cools TL, Vriens K, Struyfs C, Verbandt S, Ramada MHS, Brand GD, Bloch C, Koch B, Traven A, Drijfhout JW, Demuyser L, Kucharíková S, Van Dijck P, Spasic D, Lammertyn J, Cammue BPA, Thevissen K. The Antifungal Plant Defensin HsAFP1 Is a Phosphatidic Acid-Interacting Peptide Inducing Membrane Permeabilization. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:2295. [PMID: 29209301 PMCID: PMC5702387 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
HsAFP1, a plant defensin isolated from coral bells (Heuchera sanguinea), is characterized by broad-spectrum antifungal activity. Previous studies indicated that HsAFP1 binds to specific fungal membrane components, which had hitherto not been identified, and induces mitochondrial dysfunction and cell membrane permeabilization. In this study, we show that HsAFP1 reversibly interacts with the membrane phospholipid phosphatidic acid (PA), which is a precursor for the biosynthesis of other phospholipids, and to a lesser extent with various phosphatidyl inositol phosphates (PtdInsP's). Moreover, via reverse ELISA assays we identified two basic amino acids in HsAFP1, namely histidine at position 32 and arginine at position 52, as well as the phosphate group in PA as important features enabling this interaction. Using a HsAFP1 variant, lacking both amino acids (HsAFP1[H32A][R52A]), we showed that, as compared to the native peptide, the ability of this variant to bind to PA and PtdInsP's is reduced (≥74%) and the antifungal activity of the variant is reduced (≥2-fold), highlighting the link between PA/PtdInsP binding and antifungal activity. Using fluorescently labelled HsAFP1 in confocal microscopy and flow cytometry assays, we showed that HsAFP1 accumulates at the cell surface of yeast cells with intact membranes, most notably at the buds and septa. The resulting HsAFP1-induced membrane permeabilization is likely to occur after HsAFP1's internalization. These data provide novel mechanistic insights in the mode of action of the HsAFP1 plant defensin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanne L Cools
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kim Vriens
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Caroline Struyfs
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sara Verbandt
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marcelo H S Ramada
- Graduate Program in Genomic Sciences and Biotechnology, Catholic University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil.,Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Guilherme D Brand
- Chemistry Institute, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Carlos Bloch
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Barbara Koch
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Ana Traven
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Jan W Drijfhout
- Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Liesbeth Demuyser
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Soňa Kucharíková
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Patrick Van Dijck
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | | | - Bruno P A Cammue
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Karin Thevissen
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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29
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NMR structure, conformational dynamics, and biological activity of Ps Def1 defensin from Pinus sylvestris. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2017; 1865:1085-1094. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2017.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Revised: 05/14/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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30
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Structural and Dynamic Insights of the Interaction between Tritrpticin and Micelles: An NMR Study. Biophys J 2017; 111:2676-2688. [PMID: 28002744 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2016.10.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Revised: 10/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A large number of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) acts with high selectivity and specificity through interactions with membrane lipid components. These peptides undergo complex conformational changes in solution; upon binding to an interface, one major conformation is stabilized. Here we describe a study of the interaction between tritrpticin (TRP3), a cathelicidin AMP, and micelles of different chemical composition. The peptide's structure and dynamics were examined using one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR. Our data showed that the interaction occurred by conformational selection and the peptide acquired similar structures in all systems studied, despite differences in detergent headgroup charge or dipole orientation. Fluorescence and paramagnetic relaxation enhancement experiments showed that the peptide is located in the interface region and is slightly more deeply inserted in 1-myristoyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-3-phospho-1'-rac-glycerol (LMPG, anionic) than in 1-lauroyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (LLPC, zwitterionic) micelles. Moreover, the tilt angle of an assumed helical portion of the peptide is similar in both systems. In previous work we proposed that TRP3 acts by a toroidal pore mechanism. In view of the high hydrophobic core exposure, hydration, and curvature presented by micelles, the conformation of TRP3 in these systems could be related to the peptide's conformation in the toroidal pore.
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31
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De Coninck B, Verheesen P, Vos CM, Van Daele I, De Bolle MF, Vieira JV, Peferoen M, Cammue BPA, Thevissen K. Fungal Glucosylceramide-Specific Camelid Single Domain Antibodies Are Characterized by Broad Spectrum Antifungal Activity. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:1059. [PMID: 28659884 PMCID: PMC5469901 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical crop protection is widely used to control plant diseases. However, the adverse effects of pesticide use on human health and environment, resistance development and the impact of regulatory requirements on the crop protection market urges the agrochemical industry to explore innovative and alternative approaches. In that context, we demonstrate here the potential of camelid single domain antibodies (VHHs) generated against fungal glucosylceramides (fGlcCer), important pathogenicity factors. To this end, llamas were immunized with purified fGlcCer and a mixture of mycelium and spores of the fungus Botrytis cinerea, one of the most important plant pathogenic fungi. The llama immune repertoire was subsequently cloned in a phage display vector to generate a library with a diversity of at least 108 different clones. This library was incubated with fGlcCer to identify phages that bind to fGlcCer, and VHHs that specifically bound fGlcCer but not mammalian or plant-derived GlcCer were selected. They were shown to inhibit the growth of B. cinerea in vitro, with VHH 41D01 having the highest antifungal activity. Moreover, VHH 41D01 could reduce disease symptoms induced by B. cinerea when sprayed on tomato leaves. Based on all these data, anti-fGlcCer VHHs show the potential to be used as an alternative approach to combat fungal plant diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara De Coninck
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU LeuvenLeuven, Belgium.,Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIBGhent, Belgium
| | | | - Christine M Vos
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU LeuvenLeuven, Belgium.,Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIBGhent, Belgium
| | | | | | | | | | - Bruno P A Cammue
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU LeuvenLeuven, Belgium.,Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIBGhent, Belgium
| | - Karin Thevissen
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU LeuvenLeuven, Belgium
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32
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Gonçalves S, Silva PM, Felício MR, de Medeiros LN, Kurtenbach E, Santos NC. Psd1 Effects on Candida albicans Planktonic Cells and Biofilms. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2017. [PMID: 28649561 PMCID: PMC5465278 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Candida albicans is an important human pathogen, causing opportunistic infections. The adhesion of planktonic cells to a substrate is the first step for biofilm development. The antimicrobial peptide (AMP) Psd1 is a defensin isolated from Pisum sativum seeds. We tested the effects of this AMP on C. albicans biofilms and planktonic cells, comparing its activity with amphotericin B and fluconazole. Three C. albicans variants were studied, one of them a mutant deficient in glucosylceramide synthase, conferring resistance to Psd1 antifungal action. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to assess morphological and biomechanical changes on fungal cells. Surface alterations, with membrane disruption and leakage of cellular contents, were observed. Cytometry assays and confocal microscopy imaging showed that Psd1 causes cell death, in a time and concentration-dependent manner. These results demonstrate Psd1 pleiotropic action against a relevant fungal human pathogen, suggesting its use as natural antimycotic agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sónia Gonçalves
- Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de LisboaLisbon, Portugal
| | - Patrícia M Silva
- Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de LisboaLisbon, Portugal
| | - Mário R Felício
- Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de LisboaLisbon, Portugal
| | - Luciano N de Medeiros
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Eleonora Kurtenbach
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Nuno C Santos
- Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de LisboaLisbon, Portugal
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33
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Cools TL, Struyfs C, Cammue BPA, Thevissen K. Antifungal plant defensins: increased insight in their mode of action as a basis for their use to combat fungal infections. Future Microbiol 2017; 12:441-454. [DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2016-0181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant defensins are small, cationic peptides with a highly conserved 3D structure. They have been studied extensively in the past decades. Various biological activities have been attributed to plant defensins, such as anti-insect and antimicrobial activities, but they are also known to affect ion channels and display antitumor activity. This review focuses on the structure, biological activity and antifungal mode of action of some well-characterized plant defensins, with particular attention to their fungal membrane target(s), their induced cell death mechanisms as well as their antibiofilm activity. As plant defensins are, in general, not toxic to human cells, show in vivo efficacy and have low frequencies of resistance occurrence, they are of particular interest in the fight against fungal infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanne L Cools
- Centre of Microbial & Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Caroline Struyfs
- Centre of Microbial & Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bruno PA Cammue
- Centre of Microbial & Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Karin Thevissen
- Centre of Microbial & Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
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34
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Soares JR, José Tenório de Melo E, da Cunha M, Fernandes KVS, Taveira GB, da Silva Pereira L, Pimenta S, Trindade FG, Regente M, Pinedo M, de la Canal L, Gomes VM, de Oliveira Carvalho A. Interaction between the plant ApDef 1 defensin and Saccharomyces cerevisiae results in yeast death through a cell cycle- and caspase-dependent process occurring via uncontrolled oxidative stress. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2016; 1861:3429-3443. [PMID: 27614033 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2016.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Revised: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 09/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plant defensins were discovered at beginning of the 90s'; however, their precise mechanism of action is still unknown. Herein, we studied ApDef1-Saccharomyces cerevisiae interaction. METHODS ApDef1-S. cerevisiae interaction was studied by determining the MIC, viability and death kinetic assays. Viability assay was repeated with hydroxyurea synchronized-yeast and pretreated with CCCP. Plasma membrane permeabilization, ROS induction, chromatin condensation, and caspase activation analyses were assessed through Sytox green, DAB, DAPI and FITC-VAD-FMK, respectively. Viability assay was done in presence of ascorbic acid and Z-VAD-FMK. Ultrastructural analysis was done by electron microscopy. RESULTS ApDef1 caused S. cerevisiae cell death and MIC was 7.8μM. Whole cell population died after 18h of ApDef1 interaction. After 3h, 98.76% of synchronized cell population died. Pretreatment with CCCP protected yeast from ApDef1 induced death. ApDef1-S. cerevisiae interaction resulted in membrane permeabilization, H2O2 increased production, chromatin condensation and caspase activation. Ascorbic acid prevented yeast cell death and membrane permeabilization. Z-VAD-FMK prevented yeast cell death. CONCLUSIONS ApDef1-S. cerevisiae interaction caused cell death through cell cycle dependentprocess which requires preserved membrane potential. After interaction, yeast went through uncontrolled ROS production and accumulation, which led to plasma membrane permeabilization, chromatin condensation and, ultimately, cell death by activation of caspase-dependent apoptosis via. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE We show novel requirements for the interaction between plant defensin and fungi cells, i.e. cell cycle phase and membrane potential, and we indicate that membrane permeabilization is probably caused by ROS and therefore, it would be an indirect event of the ApDef1-S. cerevisiae interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Júlia Ribeiro Soares
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense - Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Edésio José Tenório de Melo
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense - Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Maura da Cunha
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense - Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Kátia Valevski Sales Fernandes
- Laboratório de Química e Função de Proteínas e Peptídeos, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense - Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Bonan Taveira
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense - Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Lidia da Silva Pereira
- Laboratório de Melhoramento Genético Vegetal, Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Agropecuárias, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense - Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Samy Pimenta
- Laboratório de Melhoramento Genético Vegetal, Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Agropecuárias, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense - Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Gomes Trindade
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense - Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Mariana Regente
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biologicas, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata -CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Marcela Pinedo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biologicas, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata -CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Laura de la Canal
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biologicas, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata -CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Valdirene Moreira Gomes
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense - Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - André de Oliveira Carvalho
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense - Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil.
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Dracatos PM, Payne J, Di Pietro A, Anderson MA, Plummer KM. Plant Defensins NaD1 and NaD2 Induce Different Stress Response Pathways in Fungi. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:E1473. [PMID: 27598152 PMCID: PMC5037751 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17091473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2016] [Revised: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Nicotiana alata defensins 1 and 2 (NaD1 and NaD2) are plant defensins from the ornamental tobacco that have antifungal activity against a variety of fungal pathogens. Some plant defensins interact with fungal cell wall O-glycosylated proteins. Therefore, we investigated if this was the case for NaD1 and NaD2, by assessing the sensitivity of the three Aspergillus nidulans (An) O-mannosyltransferase (pmt) knockout (KO) mutants (An∆pmtA, An∆pmtB, and An∆pmtC). An∆pmtA was resistant to both defensins, while An∆pmtC was resistant to NaD2 only, suggesting NaD1 and NaD2 are unlikely to have a general interaction with O-linked side chains. Further evidence of this difference in the antifungal mechanism was provided by the dissimilarity of the NaD1 and NaD2 sensitivities of the Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol) signalling knockout mutants from the cell wall integrity (CWI) and high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. HOG pathway mutants were sensitive to both NaD1 and NaD2, while CWI pathway mutants only displayed sensitivity to NaD2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M Dracatos
- Plant Breeding Institute Cobbitty, The University of Sydney, Private Bag 4011, Narellan, NSW 2567, Australia.
| | - Jennifer Payne
- La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia.
| | - Antonio Di Pietro
- Departamento de Genética, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario ceiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba 14071, Spain.
| | - Marilyn A Anderson
- La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia.
| | - Kim M Plummer
- Department of Animal, Plant and Soil Sciences, AgriBio, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia.
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NMR structure and conformational dynamics of AtPDFL2.1, a defensin-like peptide from Arabidopsis thaliana. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2016; 1864:1739-1747. [PMID: 27592418 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2016.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Revised: 08/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Plant defensins constitute the innate immune response against pathogens such as fungi and bacteria. Typical plant defensins are small, basic peptides that possess a characteristic three-dimensional fold stabilized by three or four disulfide bridges. In addition to known defensin genes, the Arabidopsis genome comprises >300 defensin-like genes coding for small cysteine-rich peptides. One of such genes encodes for AtPDFL2.1, a putative antifungal peptide of 55 amino acids, with six cysteine residues in its primary sequence. To understand the functional role of AtPDFL2.1, we carried out antifungal activity assays and determined its high-resolution three-dimensional structure using multidimensional solution NMR spectroscopy. We found that AtPDFL2.1 displays a strong inhibitory effect against Fusarium graminearum (IC50≈4μM). This peptide folds in the canonical cysteine-stabilized αβ (CSαβ) motif, consisting of one α-helix and one triple-stranded antiparallel β-sheet stabilized by three disulfide bridges and a hydrophobic cluster of residues within its core where the α-helix packs tightly against the β-sheets. Nuclear spin relaxation measurements show that the structure of AtPDFL2.1 is essentially rigid, with the L3 loop located between β-strands 2 and 3 being more flexible and displaying conformational exchange. Interestingly, the dynamic features of loop L3 are conserved among defensins and are probably correlated to the antifungal and receptor binding activities.
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Fernandes CM, de Castro PA, Singh A, Fonseca FL, Pereira MD, Vila TVM, Atella GC, Rozental S, Savoldi M, Del Poeta M, Goldman GH, Kurtenbach E. Functional characterization of the Aspergillus nidulans glucosylceramide pathway reveals that LCB Δ8-desaturation and C9-methylation are relevant to filamentous growth, lipid raft localization and Psd1 defensin activity. Mol Microbiol 2016; 102:488-505. [PMID: 27479571 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
C8-desaturated and C9-methylated glucosylceramide (GlcCer) is a fungal-specific sphingolipid that plays an important role in the growth and virulence of many species. In this work, we investigated the contribution of Aspergillus nidulans sphingolipid Δ8-desaturase (SdeA), sphingolipid C9-methyltransferases (SmtA/SmtB) and glucosylceramide synthase (GcsA) to fungal phenotypes, sensitivity to Psd1 defensin and Galleria mellonella virulence. We showed that ΔsdeA accumulated C8-saturated and unmethylated GlcCer, while gcsA deletion impaired GlcCer synthesis. Although increased levels of unmethylated GlcCer were observed in smtA and smtB mutants, ΔsmtA and wild-type cells showed a similar 9,Me-GlcCer content, reduced by 50% in the smtB disruptant. The compromised 9,Me-GlcCer production in the ΔsmtB strain was not accompanied by reduced filamentation or defects in cell polarity. When combined with the smtA deletion, smtB repression significantly increased unmethylated GlcCer levels and compromised filamentous growth. Furthermore, sdeA and gcsA mutants displayed growth defects and raft mislocalization, which were accompanied by reduced neutral lipids levels and attenuated G. mellonella virulence in the ΔgcsA strain. Finally, ΔsdeA and ΔgcsA showed increased resistance to Psd1, suggesting that GlcCer synthesis and fungal sphingoid base structure specificities are relevant not only to differentiation but also to proper recognition by this antifungal defensin.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M Fernandes
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - P A de Castro
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - A Singh
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - F L Fonseca
- Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - M D Pereira
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - T V M Vila
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - G C Atella
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - S Rozental
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - M Savoldi
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - M Del Poeta
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - G H Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - E Kurtenbach
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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de Medeiros LN, Domitrovic T, de Andrade PC, Faria J, Bergter EB, Weissmüller G, Kurtenbach E. Psd1 binding affinity toward fungal membrane components as assessed by SPR: The role of glucosylceramide in fungal recognition and entry. Biopolymers 2016; 102:456-64. [PMID: 25283273 DOI: 10.1002/bip.22570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2014] [Revised: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 09/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Psd1 is a plant defensin that has antifungal activity against several pathogenic and nonpathogenic fungi. Previous analysis of Psd1 chemical shift perturbations by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy demonstrated that this defensin interacts with phospholipids and the sphingolipid glucosylceramide isolated from Fusarium solani (GlcCer(Fusarium solani)). In this study, these interactions were evaluated by real-time surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis. The data obtained demonstrated that Psd1 could bind more strongly to small unilamellar vesicles (SUV)-containing GlcCer(Fusarium solani) than to SUV that was composed of phosphatidylcholine (PC) alone or was enriched with GlcCer that had been isolated from soybeans. An increase in the SPR response after cholesterol or ergosterol incorporation in PC-SUV was detected; however, SUV composed of PC:Erg (7:3; molar:molar) became unstable in the presence of Psd1, suggesting membrane destabilization. We also observed a lack of Psd1 internalization in Candida albicans strains that were deficient in the glucosyl ceramide synthase gene. Together, these data indicate that GlcCer is essential for Psd1 anchoring in the fungal plasma membrane as well as internalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciano Neves de Medeiros
- Programa de Biologia Molecular e Estrutural, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-902, Brasil; Instituto Nacional para Pesquisa Translacional em Saúde e Ambiente na Região Amazônica, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico/MCT, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-902, Brasil
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Kong Q, Liang Z, Xiong J, Li H, Ren X. Overexpression of the Bivalent Antibacterial Peptide Genes inPichia pastorisDelays Sour Rot in Citrus Fruit and InducesGeotrichum citri-aurantiiCell Apoptosis. FOOD BIOTECHNOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/08905436.2016.1165695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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40
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Ermakova EA, Faizullin DA, Idiyatullin BZ, Khairutdinov BI, Mukhamedova LN, Tarasova NB, Toporkova YY, Osipova EV, Kovaleva V, Gogolev YV, Zuev YF, Nesmelova IV. Structure of Scots pine defensin 1 by spectroscopic methods and computational modeling. Int J Biol Macromol 2016; 84:142-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2015.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Revised: 12/03/2015] [Accepted: 12/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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41
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Payne JAE, Bleackley MR, Lee TH, Shafee TMA, Poon IKH, Hulett MD, Aguilar MI, van der Weerden NL, Anderson MA. The plant defensin NaD1 introduces membrane disorder through a specific interaction with the lipid, phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:1099-109. [PMID: 26896695 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Revised: 02/10/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Plant defensins interact with phospholipids in bilayers as part of their cytotoxic activity. Solanaceous class II defensins with the loop 5 sequence pattern "S-[KR]-[ILVQ]-[ILVQ]-[KR]-[KR]" interact with PI(4,5)P2. Here, the prototypical defensin of this class, NaD1, is used to characterise the biophysical interactions between these defensins and phospholipid bilayers. Binding of NaD1 to bilayers containing PI(4,5)P2 occurs rapidly and the interaction is very strong. Dual polarisation interferometry revealed that NaD1 does not dissociate from bilayers containing PI(4,5)P2. Binding of NaD1 to bilayers with or without PI(4,5)P2 induced disorder in the bilayer. However, permeabilisation assays revealed that NaD1 only permeabilised liposomes with PI(4,5)P2 in the bilayer, suggesting a role for this protein-lipid interaction in the plasma membrane permeabilising activity of this defensin. No defensins in the available databases have the PI(4,5)P2 binding sequence outside the solanaceous class II defensins, leading to the hypothesis that PI(4,5)P2 binding co-evolved with the C-terminal propeptide to protect the host cell against the effects of the tight binding of these defensins to their cognate lipid as they travel along the secretory pathway. This data has allowed us to develop a new model to explain how this class of defensins permeabilises plasma membranes to kill target cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A E Payne
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Mark R Bleackley
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Tzong-Hsien Lee
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Thomas M A Shafee
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Ivan K H Poon
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Mark D Hulett
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Marie-Isabel Aguilar
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Nicole L van der Weerden
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Marilyn A Anderson
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia.
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iDPF-PseRAAAC: A Web-Server for Identifying the Defensin Peptide Family and Subfamily Using Pseudo Reduced Amino Acid Alphabet Composition. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0145541. [PMID: 26713618 PMCID: PMC4694767 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Defensins as one of the most abundant classes of antimicrobial peptides are an essential part of the innate immunity that has evolved in most living organisms from lower organisms to humans. To identify specific defensins as interesting antifungal leads, in this study, we constructed a more rigorous benchmark dataset and the iDPF-PseRAAAC server was developed to predict the defensin family and subfamily. Using reduced dipeptide compositions were used, the overall accuracy of proposed method increased to 95.10% for the defensin family, and 98.39% for the vertebrate subfamily, which is higher than the accuracy from other methods. The jackknife test shows that more than 4% improvement was obtained comparing with the previous method. A free online server was further established for the convenience of most experimental scientists at http://wlxy.imu.edu.cn/college/biostation/fuwu/iDPF-PseRAAAC/index.asp. A friendly guide is provided to describe how to use the web server. We anticipate that iDPF-PseRAAAC may become a useful high-throughput tool for both basic research and drug design.
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Vieira MEB, Vasconcelos IM, Machado OLT, Gomes VM, Carvalho ADO. Isolation, characterization and mechanism of action of an antimicrobial peptide from Lecythis pisonis seeds with inhibitory activity against Candida albicans. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2015; 47:716-29. [PMID: 26245301 DOI: 10.1093/abbs/gmv071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2015] [Accepted: 04/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are produced by a range of organisms as a first line of defense against invaders or competitors. Owing to their broad antimicrobial activity, AMPs have attracted attention as a potential source of chemotherapeutic drugs. The increasing prevalence of infections caused by Candida species as opportunistic pathogens in immunocompromised patients requires new drugs. Lecythis pisonis is a Lecythydaceae tree that grows in Brazil. The AMPs produced by this tree have not been described previously. We describe the isolation of 12 fractions enriched in peptides from L. pisonis seeds. Of the 12 fractions, at 10 μg/ml, the F4 fraction had the strongest growth inhibitory effect (53.7%) in Candida albicans, in addition to a loss of viability of 94.9%. The F4 fraction was separated into seven sub-fractions by reversed-phase chromatography. The F4.7' fraction had the strongest activity at 10 μg/ml, inhibiting C. albicans growth by 38.5% and a 69.3% loss of viability. The peptide in F4.7' was sequenced and was found to be similar to plant defensins. For this reason, the peptide was named L. pisonis defensin 1 (Lp-Def1). The mechanism of action that is responsible for C. albicans inhibition by Lp-Def1 includes a slight increase of reactive oxygen species induction and a significant loss of mitochondrial function. The results described here support the future development of plant defensins, specifically Lp-Def1, as new therapeutic substances against fungi, especially C. albicans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Eliza Brambila Vieira
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Ilka Maria Vasconcelos
- Laboratório de Toxinas Vegetais, Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Olga Lima Tavares Machado
- Laboratório de Química e Função de Proteínas e Peptídeos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Valdirene Moreira Gomes
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ 28013-602, Brazil
| | - André de Oliveira Carvalho
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ 28013-602, Brazil
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Vriens K, Cools TL, Harvey PJ, Craik DJ, Spincemaille P, Cassiman D, Braem A, Vleugels J, Nibbering PH, Drijfhout JW, De Coninck B, Cammue BPA, Thevissen K. Synergistic Activity of the Plant Defensin HsAFP1 and Caspofungin against Candida albicans Biofilms and Planktonic Cultures. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0132701. [PMID: 26248029 PMCID: PMC4527839 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant defensins are small, cysteine-rich peptides with antifungal activity against a broad range of yeast and fungi. In this study we investigated the antibiofilm activity of a plant defensin from coral bells (Heuchera sanguinea), i.e. HsAFP1. To this end, HsAFP1 was heterologously produced using Pichia pastoris as a host. The recombinant peptide rHsAFP1 showed a similar antifungal activity against the plant pathogen Fusarium culmorum as native HsAFP1 purified from seeds. NMR analysis revealed that rHsAFP1 consists of an α-helix and a triple-stranded antiparallel β-sheet stabilised by four intramolecular disulfide bonds. We found that rHsAFP1 can inhibit growth of the human pathogen Candida albicans as well as prevent C. albicans biofilm formation with a BIC50 (i.e. the minimum rHsAFP1 concentration required to inhibit biofilm formation by 50% as compared to control treatment) of 11.00 ± 1.70 μM. As such, this is the first report of a plant defensin exhibiting inhibitory activity against fungal biofilms. We further analysed the potential of rHsAFP1 to increase the activity of the conventional antimycotics caspofungin and amphotericin B towards C. albicans. Synergistic effects were observed between rHsAFP1 and these compounds against both planktonic C. albicans cells and biofilms. Most notably, concentrations of rHsAFP1 as low as 0.53 μM resulted in a synergistic activity with caspofungin against pre-grown C. albicans biofilms. rHsAFP1 was found non-toxic towards human HepG2 cells up to 40 μM, thereby supporting the lack of a general cytotoxic activity as previously reported for HsAFP1. A structure-function study with 24-mer synthetic peptides spanning the entire HsAFP1 sequence revealed the importance of the γ-core and its adjacent regions for HsAFP1 antibiofilm activity. These findings point towards broad applications of rHsAFP1 and its derivatives in the field of antifungal and antibiofilm drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Vriens
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tanne L. Cools
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Peta J. Harvey
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - David J. Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Pieter Spincemaille
- Department of Hepatology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - David Cassiman
- Department of Hepatology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Metabolic Center, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Annabel Braem
- Department of Materials Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jozef Vleugels
- Department of Materials Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Peter H. Nibbering
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Wouter Drijfhout
- Department of Immunohematology and Bloodtransfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Barbara De Coninck
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bruno P. A. Cammue
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
- * E-mail:
| | - Karin Thevissen
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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45
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Wang G, Mishra B, Lau K, Lushnikova T, Golla R, Wang X. Antimicrobial peptides in 2014. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2015; 8:123-50. [PMID: 25806720 PMCID: PMC4381204 DOI: 10.3390/ph8010123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Revised: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 03/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This article highlights new members, novel mechanisms of action, new functions, and interesting applications of antimicrobial peptides reported in 2014. As of December 2014, over 100 new peptides were registered into the Antimicrobial Peptide Database, increasing the total number of entries to 2493. Unique antimicrobial peptides have been identified from marine bacteria, fungi, and plants. Environmental conditions clearly influence peptide activity or function. Human α-defensin HD-6 is only antimicrobial under reduced conditions. The pH-dependent oligomerization of human cathelicidin LL-37 is linked to double-stranded RNA delivery to endosomes, where the acidic pH triggers the dissociation of the peptide aggregate to release its cargo. Proline-rich peptides, previously known to bind to heat shock proteins, are shown to inhibit protein synthesis. A model antimicrobial peptide is demonstrated to have multiple hits on bacteria, including surface protein delocalization. While cell surface modification to decrease cationic peptide binding is a recognized resistance mechanism for pathogenic bacteria, it is also used as a survival strategy for commensal bacteria. The year 2014 also witnessed continued efforts in exploiting potential applications of antimicrobial peptides. We highlight 3D structure-based design of peptide antimicrobials and vaccines, surface coating, delivery systems, and microbial detection devices involving antimicrobial peptides. The 2014 results also support that combination therapy is preferred over monotherapy in treating biofilms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangshun Wang
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986495 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6495, USA.
| | - Biswajit Mishra
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986495 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6495, USA
| | - Kyle Lau
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986495 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6495, USA
| | - Tamara Lushnikova
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986495 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6495, USA
| | - Radha Golla
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986495 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6495, USA
| | - Xiuqing Wang
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986495 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6495, USA
- Institute of Clinical Laboratory, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
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Lopes FC, Dobrovolska O, Real-Guerra R, Broll V, Zambelli B, Musiani F, Uversky VN, Carlini CR, Ciurli S. Pliable natural biocide: Jaburetox is an intrinsically disordered insecticidal and fungicidal polypeptide derived from jack bean urease. FEBS J 2015; 282:1043-64. [DOI: 10.1111/febs.13201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2014] [Revised: 01/13/2015] [Accepted: 01/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda C. Lopes
- Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology - Center of Biotechnology; Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre Brazil
| | - Olena Dobrovolska
- Laboratory of Bioinorganic Chemistry; Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology; University of Bologna; Italy
| | - Rafael Real-Guerra
- Department of Biophysics and Center of Biotechnology; Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre Brazil
| | - Valquiria Broll
- Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology - Center of Biotechnology; Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre Brazil
| | - Barbara Zambelli
- Laboratory of Bioinorganic Chemistry; Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology; University of Bologna; Italy
| | - Francesco Musiani
- Laboratory of Bioinorganic Chemistry; Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology; University of Bologna; Italy
| | - Vladimir N. Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute; Morsani College of Medicine; University of South Florida; Tampa USA
- Institute for Biological Instrumentation; Russian Academy of Sciences; Pushchino Moscow Region Russia
- Department of Biological Science; Faculty of Science; King Abdulaziz University; Jeddah Saudi Arabia
| | - Célia R. Carlini
- Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology - Center of Biotechnology; Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre Brazil
- Department of Biophysics and Center of Biotechnology; Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre Brazil
- Instituto do Cérebro; Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre Brazil
| | - Stefano Ciurli
- Laboratory of Bioinorganic Chemistry; Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology; University of Bologna; Italy
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Meindre F, Lelièvre D, Loth K, Mith O, Aucagne V, Berthomieu P, Marquès L, Delmas AF, Landon C, Paquet F. The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Solution Structure of the Synthetic AhPDF1.1b Plant Defensin Evidences the Structural Feature within the γ-Motif. Biochemistry 2014; 53:7745-54. [DOI: 10.1021/bi501285k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Meindre
- Centre
de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301, Rue Charles
Sadron, 45071 Orléans Cedex 2, France
| | - Dominique Lelièvre
- Centre
de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301, Rue Charles
Sadron, 45071 Orléans Cedex 2, France
| | - Karine Loth
- Centre
de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301, Rue Charles
Sadron, 45071 Orléans Cedex 2, France
| | - Oriane Mith
- Laboratoire de Biochimie & Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, INRA/SupAgro, 2 Place P. Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 2, France
| | - Vincent Aucagne
- Centre
de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301, Rue Charles
Sadron, 45071 Orléans Cedex 2, France
| | - Pierre Berthomieu
- Laboratoire de Biochimie & Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, INRA/SupAgro, 2 Place P. Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 2, France
| | - Laurence Marquès
- Laboratoire de Biochimie & Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, INRA/SupAgro, 2 Place P. Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 2, France
| | - Agnès F. Delmas
- Centre
de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301, Rue Charles
Sadron, 45071 Orléans Cedex 2, France
| | - Céline Landon
- Centre
de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301, Rue Charles
Sadron, 45071 Orléans Cedex 2, France
| | - Françoise Paquet
- Centre
de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301, Rue Charles
Sadron, 45071 Orléans Cedex 2, France
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Vostrikov VV, Soller KJ, Ha KN, Gopinath T, Veglia G. Effects of naturally occurring arginine 14 deletion on phospholamban conformational dynamics and membrane interactions. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2014; 1848:315-22. [PMID: 25251363 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2014.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Revised: 09/12/2014] [Accepted: 09/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Phospholamban (PLN) is a single-pass membrane protein that regulates the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase (SERCA). Phosphorylation of PLN at Ser16 reverses its inhibitory function under β-adrenergic stimulation, augmenting Ca²⁺ uptake in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and muscle contractility. PLN exists in two conformations; a T state, where the cytoplasmic domain is helical and adsorbed on the membrane surface, and an R state, where the cytoplasmic domain is unfolded and membrane detached. Previous studies have shown that the PLN conformational equilibrium is crucial to SERCA regulation. Here, we used a combination of solution and solid-state NMR to compare the structural topology and conformational dynamics of monomeric PLN (PLN(AFA)) with that of the PLN(R14del), a naturally occurring deletion mutant that is linked to the progression of dilated cardiomyopathy. We found that the behavior of the inhibitory transmembrane domain of PLN(R14del) is similar to that of the native sequence. Conversely, the conformational dynamics of R14del both in micelles and lipid membranes are enhanced. We conclude that the deletion of Arg14 in the cytoplasmic region weakens the interactions with the membrane and shifts the conformational equilibrium of PLN toward the disordered R state. This conformational transition is correlated with the loss-of-function character of this mutant and is corroborated by SERCA's activity assays. These findings support our hypothesis that SERCA function is fine-tuned by PLN conformational dynamics and begin to explain the aberrant regulation of SERCA by the R14del mutant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitaly V Vostrikov
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Kailey J Soller
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Kim N Ha
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, St. Catherine University, St. Paul, MN 55105, USA
| | - T Gopinath
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Gianluigi Veglia
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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Vriens K, Cammue BPA, Thevissen K. Antifungal plant defensins: mechanisms of action and production. Molecules 2014; 19:12280-303. [PMID: 25153857 PMCID: PMC6271847 DOI: 10.3390/molecules190812280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2014] [Revised: 07/29/2014] [Accepted: 08/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant defensins are small, cysteine-rich peptides that possess biological activity towards a broad range of organisms. Their activity is primarily directed against fungi, but bactericidal and insecticidal actions have also been reported. The mode of action of various antifungal plant defensins has been studied extensively during the last decades and several of their fungal targets have been identified to date. This review summarizes the mechanism of action of well-characterized antifungal plant defensins, including RsAFP2, MsDef1, MtDef4, NaD1 and Psd1, and points out the variety by which antifungal plant defensins affect microbial cell viability. Furthermore, this review summarizes production routes for plant defensins, either via heterologous expression or chemical synthesis. As plant defensins are generally considered non-toxic for plant and mammalian cells, they are regarded as attractive candidates for further development into novel antimicrobial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Vriens
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, Heverlee 3001, Belgium
| | - Bruno P A Cammue
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, Heverlee 3001, Belgium.
| | - Karin Thevissen
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, Heverlee 3001, Belgium
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50
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Heterologous expression and solution structure of defensin from lentil Lens culinaris. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2014; 451:252-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2014.07.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 07/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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