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Pereira AJ, Xing H, de Campos LJ, Seleem MA, de Oliveira KMP, Obaro SK, Conda-Sheridan M. Structure-Activity Relationship Study to Develop Peptide Amphiphiles as Species-Specific Antimicrobials. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202303986. [PMID: 38221408 PMCID: PMC10939825 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202303986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptide amphiphiles (PAs) are a promising class of molecules that can disrupt the bacterial membrane or act as drug nanocarriers. In this study, we prepared 33 PAs to establish supramolecular structure-activity relationships. We studied the morphology and activity of the nanostructures against different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains (such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii). Next, we used principal component analysis (PCA) to determine the key contributors to activity. We found that for S. aureus, the zeta potential was the major contributor to the activity while Gram-negative bacteria were more influenced by the partition coefficient (LogP) with the following order P. aeruginosa>E. coli>A. baumannii. We also performed a study of the mechanism of action of selected PAs on the bacterial membrane assessing the membrane permeability and depolarization, changes in zeta potential and overall integrity. We studied the toxicity of the nanostructures against mammalian cells. Finally, we performed an in vivo study using the wax moth larvae to determine the therapeutic efficacy of the active PAs. This study shows cationic PA nanostructures can be an intriguing platform for the development of nanoantibacterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aramis J. Pereira
- A. J. Pereira, Dr. H. Xing, L. J. de Campos, Prof. Dr. M. Conda-Sheridan, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE 68198 (USA)
| | - Huihua Xing
- A. J. Pereira, Dr. H. Xing, L. J. de Campos, Prof. Dr. M. Conda-Sheridan, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE 68198 (USA)
| | - Luana J. de Campos
- A. J. Pereira, Dr. H. Xing, L. J. de Campos, Prof. Dr. M. Conda-Sheridan, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE 68198 (USA)
| | - Mohamed A. Seleem
- Dr. M.A. Seleem, Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 4434003 (Egypt)
| | - Kelly M. P. de Oliveira
- Prof. Dr. K. M. P. de Oliveira, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), Dourados, MS 79804-970 (Brazil)
| | - Stephen K. Obaro
- Prof. Dr. S. K. Obaro, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, AL 35233 (USA), International Foundation against Infectious Diseases in Nigeria (IFAIN), Abuja, 900108 (Nigeria)
| | - Martin Conda-Sheridan
- A. J. Pereira, Dr. H. Xing, L. J. de Campos, Prof. Dr. M. Conda-Sheridan, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE 68198 (USA)
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Ghosh S, Chatterjee S, Satpati P. Effect of Spacer Length Modification of the Cationic Side Chain on the Energetics of Antimicrobial Peptide Binding to Membrane-Mimetic Bilayers. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:5823-5833. [PMID: 37684221 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanism of action of the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) in terms of its structure and energetics is the key to designing new potent and selective AMPs. Recently, we reported a membranolytic 14-residue-long lysine-rich cationic antimicrobial peptide (LL-14: NH3+-LKWLKKLLKWLKKL-CONH2) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus, which is limited by cytotoxicity and expected to undergo facile protease degradation. Aliphatic side-chain-length modification of the cationic amino-acid residues (Lys and Arg) is a popular strategy for designing protease-resistant AMPs. However, the effect of the peptide side-chain length modifications on the membrane binding affinity and its relation to the atomic structure remain an unsolved problem. We report computer simulations that quantitatively calculated the difference in peptide binding affinity to membrane-mimetic-bilayer models (bacterial: 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (POPE)/1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol (POPG) bilayer and mammalian: 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) bilayer) upon decreasing or increasing the spacer length of the cationic lysine residues of LL-14 (as well as their arginine analogues). We show that the peptide/bilayer interaction energetics varies drastically in response to spacer length modification. The strength of peptide discrimination depends strongly on the nature of the bilayer (bacterial or mammalian mimetic model). An increase in the lysine spacer length by one carbon (i.e., homolysine analogue of LL-14) is weakly/strongly disfavored by the bacterial/mammalian-membrane-mimetic bilayer. Recently, we have demonstrated an excellent correlation between the antimicrobial activity of the membranolytic cationic peptides and their binding affinity to membrane-mimetic-bilayer models. Thus, the homolysine analogue of LL-14 is a promising noncytotoxic AMP with conserved activity. On the other hand, homoarginine analogue (arginine spacer length increment by a single carbon) was preferred by both the bacteria and the mammalian mimetic bilayers and displayed the strongest affinity for the former among the peptides studied in this work. Thus, the promising most potent homoarginine analogue is likely to be cytotoxic. Shortening the Lys/Arg side chain to a three-carbon spacer (Dab/Agb) improves the binding affinity to bacterial and mammalian-membrane-mimetic bilayers. Arginine and arginine-derivative peptides exhibited stronger binding affinity to the bilayers relative to the lysine analogue. The results provide a plausible explanation to the previous experimental observations, viz., superior antimicrobial activity of the arginine peptides relative to Lys peptides and the improvement of antimicrobial activity upon substitution of Lys with Dab in the cationic peptides. The simulations revealed that the small change in the peptide hydrophobicity by Lys/Arg spacer length modification could drastically alter the energetics of peptide/bilayer binding by fine-tuning the electrostatic interactions. The energetics underlying the peptide selectivity by simple membrane-mimetic bilayer models may be beneficial for designing new selective and protease-resistant AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suvankar Ghosh
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
| | - Sunanda Chatterjee
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
| | - Priyadarshi Satpati
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
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3
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Duque HM, Rodrigues G, Santos LS, Franco OL. The biological role of charge distribution in linear antimicrobial peptides. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2023; 18:287-302. [PMID: 36720196 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2023.2173736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) have received particular attention due to their capacity to kill bacteria. Although much is known about them, peptides are currently being further researched. A large number of AMPs have been discovered, but only a few have been approved for topical use, due to their promiscuity and other challenges, which need to be overcome. AREAS COVERED AMPs are diverse in structure. Consequently, they have varied action mechanisms when targeting microorganisms or eukaryotic cells. Herein, the authors focus on linear peptides, particularly those that are alpha-helical structured, and examine how their charge distribution and hydrophobic amino acids could modulate their biological activity. EXPERT OPINION The world currently needs urgent solutions to the infective problems caused by resistant pathogens. In order to start the race for antimicrobial development from the charge distribution viewpoint, bioinformatic tools will be necessary. Currently, there is no software available that allows to discriminate charge distribution in AMPs and predicts the biological effects of this event. Furthermore, there is no software available that predicts the side-chain length of residues and its role in biological functions. More specialized software is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry Morales Duque
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, PC: (CEP) 70.790-160, Brasília-DF, Brazil
| | - Gisele Rodrigues
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, PC: (CEP) 70.790-160, Brasília-DF, Brazil
| | - Lucas Souza Santos
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, PC: (CEP) 70.790-160, Brasília-DF, Brazil
| | - Octávio Luiz Franco
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, PC: (CEP) 70.790-160, Brasília-DF, Brazil.,S-inova Biotech, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, PC: (CEP) 79117-010, Campo Grande-MS, Brazil
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4
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Kim H, Yoo YD, Lee GY. Identification of Bacterial Membrane Selectivity of Romo1-Derived Antimicrobial Peptide AMPR-22 via Molecular Dynamics. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23137404. [PMID: 35806412 PMCID: PMC9266825 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23137404] [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: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The abuse or misuse of antibiotics has caused the emergence of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) bacteria, rendering most antibiotics ineffective and increasing the mortality rate of patients with bacteremia or sepsis. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are proposed to overcome this problem; however, many AMPs have attenuated antimicrobial activities with hemolytic toxicity in blood. Recently, AMPR-11 and its optimized derivative, AMPR-22, were reported to be potential candidates for the treatment of sepsis with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity and low hemolytic toxicity. Here, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to clarify the mechanism of lower hemolytic toxicity and higher efficacy of AMPR-22 at an atomic level. We found four polar residues in AMPR-11 bound to a model mimicking the bacterial inner/outer membranes preferentially over eukaryotic plasma membrane. AMPR-22 whose polar residues were replaced by lysine showed a 2-fold enhanced binding affinity to the bacterial membrane by interacting with bacterial specific lipids (lipid A or cardiolipin) via hydrogen bonds. The MD simulations were confirmed experimentally in models that partially mimic bacteremia conditions in vitro and ex vivo. The present study demonstrates why AMPR-22 showed low hemolytic toxicity and this approach using an MD simulation would be helpful in the development of AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hana Kim
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea;
| | - Young Do Yoo
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea;
- Correspondence: (Y.D.Y.); (G.Y.L.)
| | - Gi Young Lee
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Correspondence: (Y.D.Y.); (G.Y.L.)
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5
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Xiang W, Clemenza P, Klousnitzer J, Chen J, Qin W, Tristram-Nagle S, Doi Y, Di YP, Deslouches B. Rational Framework for the Design of Trp- and Arg-Rich Peptide Antibiotics Against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:889791. [PMID: 35694289 PMCID: PMC9186412 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.889791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The threat of antibiotic resistance warrants the discovery of agents with novel antimicrobial mechanisms. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) directly disrupting bacterial membranes may overcome resistance to traditional antibiotics. AMP development for clinical use has been mostly limited to topical application to date. We developed a rational framework for systematically addressing this challenge using libraries composed of 86 novel Trp- and Arg-rich engineered peptides tested against clinical strains of the most common multidrug-resistant bacteria known as ESKAPE pathogens. Structure-function correlations revealed minimum lengths (as low as 16 residues) and Trp positioning for maximum antibacterial potency with mean minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2–4 μM and corresponding negligible toxicity to mammalian cells. Twelve peptides were selected based on broad-spectrum activity against both gram-negative and -positive bacteria and <25% toxicity to mammalian cells at maximum test concentrations. Most of the selected PAX remained active against the colistin-resistant clinical strains. Of the selected peptides, the shortest (the 16-residue E35) was further investigated for antibacterial mechanism and proof-of-concept in vivo efficacy. E35 killed an extensively-resistant isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA239 from the CDC, also resistant to colistin) by irreversibly disrupting the cell membranes as shown by propidium iodide incorporation, using flow cytometry and live cell imaging. As proof of concept, in vivo toxicity studies showed that mice tolerated a systemic dose of up to 30 mg/kg peptide and were protected with a single 5 mg/kg intravenous (IV) dose against an otherwise lethal intraperitoneal injection of PA239. Efficacy was also demonstrated in an immune-compromised Klebsiella pneumoniae infection model using a daily dose of 4mg/kg E35 systemically for 2 days. This framework defines the determinants of efficacy of helical AMPs composed of only cationic and hydrophobic amino acids and provides a path for a potential departure from the restriction to topical use of AMPs toward systemic application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyu Xiang
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Patrice Clemenza
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Jessie Klousnitzer
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Jespar Chen
- Biological Physics Group, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Weiheng Qin
- Biological Physics Group, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Stephanie Tristram-Nagle
- Biological Physics Group, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Yohei Doi
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Y Peter Di
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Berthony Deslouches
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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6
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Pandit G, Sarkar T, S. R. V, Debnath S, Satpati P, Chatterjee S. Delineating the Mechanism of Action of a Protease Resistant and Salt Tolerant Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptide against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:15951-15968. [PMID: 35571791 PMCID: PMC9097201 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c01089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Rapidly growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) against antibiotics has propelled the development of synthetic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as potential antimicrobial agents. An antimicrobial peptide Nle-Dab-Trp-Nle-Dab-Dab-Nle-CONH2 (P36; Nle = norleucine, Dab = diaminobutyric acid, Trp = tryptophan) potent against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) has been developed in the present study. Rational design strategy adopted in this study led to the improvisation of the therapeutic qualities such as activity, salt tolerance, cytotoxicity, and protease resistance of the template peptide P4, which was earlier reported from our group. P36 exhibited salt tolerant antimicrobial potency against P. aeruginosa, along with very low cytotoxicity against mammalian cell lines. P36 was found to be nonhemolytic and resistant toward protease degradation which qualified it as a potent antimicrobial agent. We have investigated the mechanism of action of this molecule in detail using several experimental techniques (spectroscopic, biophysical, and microscopic) and molecular dynamics simulations. P36 was a membrane active AMP with membrane destabilization and deformation abilities, leading to leakage of the intracellular materials and causing eventual cell death. The interaction between P36 and the microbial membrane/membrane mimics was primarily driven by electrostatics. P36 was unstructured in water and upon binding to the microbial membrane mimic SDS, suggesting no influence of secondary structure on its antimicrobial potency. Positive charge, optimum hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance, and chain length remained the most important concerns to be addressed while designing small cationic antimicrobial peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gopal Pandit
- Department
of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology.
Guwahati (IITG), Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
| | - Tanumoy Sarkar
- Department
of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology.
Guwahati (IITG), Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
| | - Vignesh S. R.
- Department
of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian
Institute of Technology. Guwahati (IITG), Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
| | - Swapna Debnath
- Department
of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology.
Guwahati (IITG), Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
| | - Priyadarshi Satpati
- Department
of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian
Institute of Technology. Guwahati (IITG), Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
| | - Sunanda Chatterjee
- Department
of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology.
Guwahati (IITG), Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
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7
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Luong HX, Bui HTP, Tung TT. Application of the All-Hydrocarbon Stapling Technique in the Design of Membrane-Active Peptides. J Med Chem 2022; 65:3026-3045. [PMID: 35112864 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The threats of drug resistance and new emerging pathogens have led to an urgent need to develop alternative treatment therapies. Recently, considerable research efforts have focused on membrane-active peptides (MAPs), a category of peptides in drug discovery with antimicrobial, anticancer, and cell penetration activities that have demonstrated their potential to be multifunctional agents. Nonetheless, natural MAPs have encountered various disadvantages, which mainly include poor bioavailability, the lack of a secondary structure in short peptides, and high production costs for long peptide sequences. Hence, an "all-hydrocarbon stapling system" has been applied to these peptides and proven to effectively stabilize the helical conformations, improving proteolytic resistance and increasing both the potency and the cell permeability. In this review, we summarized and categorized the advances made using this powerful technique in the development of stapled MAPs. Furthermore, outstanding issues and suggestions for future design within each subcategory were thoroughly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huy Xuan Luong
- Faculty of Pharmacy, PHENIKAA University, Hanoi 12116, Vietnam.,PHENIKAA Institute for Advanced Study (PIAS), PHENIKAA University, Hanoi 12116, Vietnam
| | | | - Truong Thanh Tung
- Faculty of Pharmacy, PHENIKAA University, Hanoi 12116, Vietnam.,PHENIKAA Institute for Advanced Study (PIAS), PHENIKAA University, Hanoi 12116, Vietnam
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8
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You DG, Lee HR, Kim HK, Lee GY, Yoo YD. A Novel Peptide Derived from the Transmembrane Domain of Romo1 Is a Promising Candidate for Sepsis Treatment and Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22158243. [PMID: 34361008 PMCID: PMC8348110 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22158243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria through the abuse and long-term use of antibiotics is a serious health problem worldwide. Therefore, novel antimicrobial agents that can cure an infection from MDR bacteria, especially gram-negative bacteria, are urgently needed. Antimicrobial peptides, part of the innate immunity system, have been studied to find bactericidal agents potent against MDR bacteria. However, they have many problems, such as restrained systemic activity and cytotoxicity. In a previous study, we suggested that the K58–R78 domain of Romo1, a mitochondrial protein encoded by the nucleus, was a promising treatment candidate for sepsis caused by MDR bacteria. Here, we performed sequence optimization to enhance the antimicrobial activity of this peptide and named it as AMPR-22 (antimicrobial peptide derived from Romo1). It showed broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against 17 sepsis-causing bacteria, including MDR strains, by inducing membrane permeabilization. Moreover, treatment with AMPR-22 enabled a remarkable survival rate in mice injected with MDR bacteria in a murine model of sepsis. Based on these results, we suggest that AMPR-22 could be prescribed as a first-line therapy (prior to bacterial identification) for patients diagnosed with sepsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deok-Gyun You
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicines, Korea University College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea; (D.-G.Y.); (H.-R.L.); (G.-Y.L.)
| | - Hye-Ra Lee
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicines, Korea University College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea; (D.-G.Y.); (H.-R.L.); (G.-Y.L.)
| | - Hong-Kyu Kim
- Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Korea;
| | - Gi-Young Lee
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicines, Korea University College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea; (D.-G.Y.); (H.-R.L.); (G.-Y.L.)
| | - Young-Do Yoo
- Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicines, Korea University College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea; (D.-G.Y.); (H.-R.L.); (G.-Y.L.)
- Correspondence:
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Wątły J, Miller A, Kozłowski H, Rowińska-Żyrek M. Peptidomimetics - An infinite reservoir of metal binding motifs in metabolically stable and biologically active molecules. J Inorg Biochem 2021; 217:111386. [PMID: 33610030 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2021.111386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The involvement of metal ions in interactions with therapeutic peptides is inevitable. They are one of the factors able to fine-tune the biological properties of antimicrobial peptides, a promising group of drugs with one large drawback - a problematic metabolic stability. Appropriately chosen, proteolytically stable peptidomimetics seem to be a reasonable solution of the problem, and the use of D-, β-, γ-amino acids, unnatural amino acids, azapeptides, peptoids, cyclopeptides and dehydropeptides is an infinite reservoir of metal binding motifs in metabolically stable, well-designed, biologically active molecules. Below, their specific structural features, metal-chelating abilities and antimicrobial potential are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Wątły
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Wroclaw, Joliot - Curie 14, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland.
| | - Adriana Miller
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Wroclaw, Joliot - Curie 14, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
| | - Henryk Kozłowski
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Wroclaw, Joliot - Curie 14, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland; Department of Health Sciences, University of Opole, Katowicka 68, Opole 45-060, Poland
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10
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Lachowicz JI, Szczepski K, Scano A, Casu C, Fais S, Orrù G, Pisano B, Piras M, Jaremko M. The Best Peptidomimetic Strategies to Undercover Antibacterial Peptides. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E7349. [PMID: 33027928 PMCID: PMC7583890 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21197349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Health-care systems that develop rapidly and efficiently may increase the lifespan of humans. Nevertheless, the older population is more fragile, and is at an increased risk of disease development. A concurrently growing number of surgeries and transplantations have caused antibiotics to be used much more frequently, and for much longer periods of time, which in turn increases microbial resistance. In 1945, Fleming warned against the abuse of antibiotics in his Nobel lecture: "The time may come when penicillin can be bought by anyone in the shops. Then there is the danger that the ignorant man may easily underdose himself and by exposing his microbes to non-lethal quantities of the drug make them resistant". After 70 years, we are witnessing the fulfilment of Fleming's prophecy, as more than 700,000 people die each year due to drug-resistant diseases. Naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides protect all living matter against bacteria, and now different peptidomimetic strategies to engineer innovative antibiotics are being developed to defend humans against bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Izabela Lachowicz
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, 09042 Monserrato, Italy; (B.P.); (M.P.)
| | - Kacper Szczepski
- Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Alessandra Scano
- Department of Surgical Science, OBL Oral Biotechnology Laboratory, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy; (A.S.); (C.C.); (S.F.); (G.O.)
| | - Cinzia Casu
- Department of Surgical Science, OBL Oral Biotechnology Laboratory, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy; (A.S.); (C.C.); (S.F.); (G.O.)
| | - Sara Fais
- Department of Surgical Science, OBL Oral Biotechnology Laboratory, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy; (A.S.); (C.C.); (S.F.); (G.O.)
| | - Germano Orrù
- Department of Surgical Science, OBL Oral Biotechnology Laboratory, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy; (A.S.); (C.C.); (S.F.); (G.O.)
| | - Barbara Pisano
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, 09042 Monserrato, Italy; (B.P.); (M.P.)
| | - Monica Piras
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, 09042 Monserrato, Italy; (B.P.); (M.P.)
| | - Mariusz Jaremko
- Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia;
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11
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Souza PF, Marques LS, Oliveira JT, Lima PG, Dias LP, Neto NA, Lopes FE, Sousa JS, Silva AF, Caneiro RF, Lopes JL, Ramos MV, Freitas CD. Synthetic antimicrobial peptides: From choice of the best sequences to action mechanisms. Biochimie 2020; 175:132-145. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2020.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2020] [Revised: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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12
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Senetra AS, Necelis MR, Caputo GA. Investigation of the structure-activity relationship in ponericin L1 from Neoponera goeldii. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2020; 112:e24162. [PMID: 33937618 PMCID: PMC8086892 DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Naturally derived antimicrobial peptides have been an area of great interest because of high selectivity against bacterial targets over host cells and the limited development of bacterial resistance to these molecules throughout evolution. There are also a significant number of venom-derived peptides that exhibit antimicrobial activity in addition to activity against mammals or other organisms. Many venom peptides share the same net cationic, amphiphilic nature as host-defense peptides, making them an attractive target for development as potential antibacterial agents. The peptide ponericin L1 derived from Neoponera goeldii was used as a model to investigate the role of cationic residues and net charge on peptide activity. Using a combination of spectroscopic and microbiological approaches, the role of cationic residues and net charge on antibacterial activity, lipid bilayer interactions, and bilayer and membrane permeabilization were investigated. The L1 peptide and derivatives all showed enhanced binding to lipid vesicles containing anionic lipids, but still bound to zwitterionic vesicles. None of the derivatives were especially effective at permeabilizing lipid bilayers in model vesicles, in-tact Escherichia coli, or human red blood cells. Taken together the results indicate that the lack of facial amphiphilicity regarding charge segregation may impact the ability of the L1 peptides to effectively permeabilize bilayers despite effective binding. Additionally, increasing the net charge of the peptide by replacing the lone anionic residue with either Gln or Lys dramatically improved efficacy against several bacterial strains without increasing hemolytic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandria S. Senetra
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, U.S.A
| | - Matthew R. Necelis
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, U.S.A
| | - Gregory A. Caputo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, U.S.A
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, U.S.A
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13
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Romo1-Derived Antimicrobial Peptide Is a New Antimicrobial Agent against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria in a Murine Model of Sepsis. mBio 2020; 11:mBio.03258-19. [PMID: 32291307 PMCID: PMC7157825 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03258-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Abuse of antibiotics often leads to increase of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, which threatens the life of human beings. To overcome threat of antibiotic resistance, scientists are developing a novel class of antibiotics, antimicrobial peptides, that can eradicate MDR bacteria. Unfortunately, these antibiotics have mainly been developed to cure bacterial skin infections rather than others, such as life-threatening sepsis. Major pharmaceutical companies have tried to develop antiseptic drugs; however, they have not been successful. Here, we report that AMPR-11, the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) derived from mitochondrial nonselective channel Romo1, has antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria comprising many clinically isolated MDR strains. Moreover, AMPR-11 increased the survival rate in a murine model of sepsis caused by MDR bacteria. We propose that AMPR-11 could be a novel antiseptic drug candidate with a broad antimicrobial spectrum to overcome MDR bacterial infection. To overcome increasing bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics, many antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) derived from host defense proteins have been developed. However, there are considerable obstacles to their application to systemic infections because of their low bioavailability. In the present study, we developed an AMP derived from Romo1 (AMPR-11) that exhibits a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. AMPR-11 showed remarkable efficacy against sepsis-causing bacteria, including multidrug-resistant strains, with low toxicity in a murine model of sepsis after intravenous administration. It seems that AMPR-11 disrupts bacterial membranes by interacting with cardiolipin and lipid A. From the results of this study, we suggest that AMPR-11 is a new class of agent for overcoming low efficacy in the intravenous application of AMPs and is a promising candidate to overcome multidrug resistance.
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14
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Arias M, Haney EF, Hilchie AL, Corcoran JA, Hyndman ME, Hancock REW, Vogel HJ. Selective anticancer activity of synthetic peptides derived from the host defence peptide tritrpticin. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2020; 1862:183228. [PMID: 32126228 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2020.183228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) constitute a diverse family of peptides with the ability to protect their host against microbial infections. In addition to their ability to kill microorganisms, several AMPs also exhibit selective cytotoxicity towards cancer cells and are collectively referred to as anticancer peptides (ACPs). Here a large library of AMPs, mainly derived from the porcine cathelicidin peptide, tritrpticin (VRRFPWWWPFLRR), were assessed for their anticancer activity against the Jurkat T cell leukemia line. These anticancer potencies were compared to the cytotoxicity of the peptides towards normal cells isolated from healthy donors, namely peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and red blood cells (RBCs; where hemolytic activity was assessed). Among the active tritrpticin derivatives, substitution of Arg by Lys enhanced the selectivity of the peptides towards Jurkat cells when compared to PBMCs. Additionally, the side chain length of the Lys residues was also optimized to further enhance the tritrpticin ACP selectivity at low concentrations. The mechanism of action of the peptides with high selectivity involved the permeabilization of the cytoplasmic membrane of Jurkat cells, without formation of apoptotic bodies. The incorporation of non-natural Lys-based cationic amino acids could provide a new strategy to improve the selectivity of other synthetic ACPs to enhance their potential for therapeutic use against leukemia cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio Arias
- Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Biophysics Group, School of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Sede Medellín, Calle 65 No 59A-110, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Evan F Haney
- Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Ashley L Hilchie
- Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada; Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Jennifer A Corcoran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada; Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Disease Department, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada
| | - M Eric Hyndman
- Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Southern Alberta Institute of Urology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2V 1P9, Canada
| | - Robert E W Hancock
- Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Hans J Vogel
- Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
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15
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Yang Y, Wu D, Wang C, Shan A, Bi C, Li Y, Gan W. Hybridization with Insect Cecropin A (1-8) Improve the Stability and Selectivity of Naturally Occurring Peptides. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21041470. [PMID: 32098142 PMCID: PMC7073140 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21041470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offer great hope and a promising opportunity to overcome the rapid development of drug-resistant pathogenic microbes. However, AMPs often lack the stability required for a successful systemic drug. Hybridizing different AMPs is a simple and effective strategy to obtain novel peptides. N-terminal fragment of cecropin A (CA (1-8)) is often used to hybridize with other AMPs to reduce cytotoxicity. However, hybridizing with CA (1-8) in improving the stability of AMPs is not clear. Therefore, a series of peptides were designed by combining with CA (1–8) and their antibacterial activity and stability in the presence of salts and human serum were evaluated. The resultant α-helical hybrid peptide CA-FO composed of CA (1-8) and the most potent region of Fowlicidin-2 (FO (1–15)) exhibited excellent antibacterial activity (2-8 μM) and cell selectivity toward bacterial over mammalian cells. Moreover, CA-FO still retained vigorous antimicrobial activity in the presence of human serum and salts at physiological concentrations. CA-FO exhibited effective antibacterial activity by increasing membrane permeability and damaging membrane integrity. In conclusion, these results indicated the success of hybridization in designing and optimizing AMPs with improved stability and selectivity and the peptide CA-FO can be further evaluated as peptide-therapy to treat bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China; (Y.Y.); (D.W.); (C.W.); (C.B.)
| | - Di Wu
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China; (Y.Y.); (D.W.); (C.W.); (C.B.)
| | - Chenxi Wang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China; (Y.Y.); (D.W.); (C.W.); (C.B.)
| | - Anshan Shan
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China; (Y.Y.); (D.W.); (C.W.); (C.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-451-5519-0685
| | - Chongpeng Bi
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China; (Y.Y.); (D.W.); (C.W.); (C.B.)
| | - Yanbing Li
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing 163319, China;
| | - Wenping Gan
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Academy of Land Reclamation Sciences, Harbin 150038, China;
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16
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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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17
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Bozelli JC, Salay LC, Arcisio-Miranda M, Procopio J, Riciluca KCT, Silva Junior PI, Nakaie CR, Schreier S. A comparison of activity, toxicity, and conformation of tritrpticin and two TOAC-labeled analogues. Effects on the mechanism of action. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2019; 1862:183110. [PMID: 31672543 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2019.183110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2019] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
A strategy that has been gaining increased application for the study of the conformation, dynamics, orientation, and physicochemical properties of peptides is labeling with the paramagnetic amino acid TOAC. This approach was used to gain a deeper understanding on the mechanism of action of the antimicrobial peptide tritrpticin (TRP3). TRP3 was labeled with TOAC at the N-terminus (prior to V1, TOAC0-TRP3) or internally (replacing P5, TOAC5-TRP3). Functional studies showed that labeling led to peptides with higher activity against Gram-positive bacteria and lower hemolytic activity with respect to TRP3. Peptide-induced model membranes permeabilization and ion channel-like activity studies corroborated the functional assays qualitatively, showing higher activity of the peptides against negatively charged membranes, which had the purpose of mimicking bacterial membranes. TOAC presented a greater freedom of motion at the N-terminus than at the internal position, as evinced by EPR spectra. EPR and fluorescence spectra reported on the peptides conformational properties, showing acquisition of a more packed conformation in the presence of the secondary structure-inducing solvent, TFE. CD studies showed that TOAC0-TRP3 acquires a conformation similar to that of TRP3, both in aqueous solution and in TFE, while TOAC5-TRP3 presents a different conformation in all environments. While the mechanism of action of TRP3 was impacted to some extent by TOAC labeling at the N-terminus, it did change upon replacement of P5 by TOAC. The results demonstrated that TOAC-labeling could be used to modulate TRP3 activity and mechanism of action and, more importantly, the critical role of P5 for TRP3 pore formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- José C Bozelli
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes, 748, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil; Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
| | - Luiz C Salay
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes, 748, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil; Department of Exact and Technological Sciences, State University of Santa Cruz-UESC, Ilhéus, BA 45662-900, Brazil
| | - Manoel Arcisio-Miranda
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes, 1524, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Joaquim Procopio
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes, 1524, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Katie C T Riciluca
- Laboratory for Applied Toxinology, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Pedro I Silva Junior
- Laboratory for Applied Toxinology, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Clovis R Nakaie
- Department of Biophysics, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 04044-020, Brazil
| | - Shirley Schreier
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes, 748, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
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18
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Armas F, Pacor S, Ferrari E, Guida F, Pertinhez TA, Romani AA, Scocchi M, Benincasa M. Design, antimicrobial activity and mechanism of action of Arg-rich ultra-short cationic lipopeptides. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0212447. [PMID: 30789942 PMCID: PMC6383929 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The increasing emergence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms represents one of the greatest challenges in the clinical management of infectious diseases, and requires the development of novel antimicrobial agents. To this aim, we de novo designed a library of Arg-rich ultra-short cationic antimicrobial lipopeptides (USCLs), based on the Arg-X-Trp-Arg-NH2 peptide moiety conjugated with a fatty acid, and investigated their antibacterial potential. USCLs exhibited an excellent antimicrobial activity against clinically pathogenic microorganisms, in particular Gram-positive bacteria, including multidrug resistant strains, with MIC values ranging between 1.56 and 6.25 μg/mL. The capability of the two most active molecules, Lau-RIWR-NH2 and Lau-RRIWRR-NH2, to interact with the bacterial membranes has been predicted by molecular dynamics and verified on liposomes by surface plasmon resonance. Both compounds inhibited the growth of S. aureus even at sub MIC concentrations and induced cell membranes permeabilization by producing visible cell surface alterations leading to a significant decrease in bacterial viability. Interestingly, no cytotoxic effects were evidenced for these lipopeptides up to 50–100 μg/mL in hemolysis assay, in human epidermal model and HaCaT cells, thus highlighting a good cell selectivity. These results, together with the simple composition of USCLs, make them promising lead compounds as new antimicrobials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Armas
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- Area Science Park, Padriciano, Trieste, Italy
| | - Sabrina Pacor
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Elena Ferrari
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Filomena Guida
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Thelma A. Pertinhez
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Transfusion Medicine Unit, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | | | - Marco Scocchi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Monica Benincasa
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- * E-mail:
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19
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Luong HX, Kim DH, Lee BJ, Kim YW. Effects of lysine-to-arginine substitution on antimicrobial activity of cationic stapled heptapeptides. Arch Pharm Res 2018; 41:1092-1097. [PMID: 30361948 DOI: 10.1007/s12272-018-1084-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We previously reported a series of amphipathic helices of stapled heptapeptides as membrane-lytic antimicrobial peptides. These peptides possess three lysine residues as the sole cationic amino acid residues in their hydrophilic face of the helix. Lysine-to-arginine substitution is often shown to increase antimicrobial activity of many natural AMPs due to the more favorable interactions of guanidinium moiety of arginine with membranes. In an effort to further improve the pharmacological properties of our novel AMP series, we here examined the impact of lysine-to-arginine substitution on their structures and antimicrobial and hemolytic activities. Our results indicate that the lysine-to-arginine substitution does not always guarantee enhancement in the antimicrobial potency of AMPs. Instead, we observed varied potency and selectivity depending on the number of substitutions and the positions substituted. Our results imply that, in the given helical scaffold stabilized by a hydrocarbon staple, antimicrobial potency and selectivity are influenced by a complex effect of various structural and chemical changes accompanied by lysine-to-arginine substitution rather than solely by the type of cationic residue. These data show potential for use in our scaffold-assisted development of short, selective, and metabolically stable AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huy X Luong
- College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University, Seoul, 100-715, Korea
| | - Do-Hee Kim
- College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742, Korea
| | - Bong-Jin Lee
- College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742, Korea
| | - Young-Woo Kim
- College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University, Seoul, 100-715, Korea.
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20
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Pandit G, Ilyas H, Ghosh S, Bidkar AP, Mohid SA, Bhunia A, Satpati P, Chatterjee S. Insights into the Mechanism of Antimicrobial Activity of Seven-Residue Peptides. J Med Chem 2018; 61:7614-7629. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b00353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gopal Pandit
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati 781039, India
| | - Humaira Ilyas
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme, VII (M), Kolkata 700054, India
| | - Suvankar Ghosh
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT, Guwahati 781039, India
| | - Anil P. Bidkar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT, Guwahati 781039, India
| | - Sk. Abdul Mohid
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme, VII (M), Kolkata 700054, India
| | - Anirban Bhunia
- Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme, VII (M), Kolkata 700054, India
| | | | - Sunanda Chatterjee
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati 781039, India
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21
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Improving the Activity of Trp-Rich Antimicrobial Peptides by Arg/Lys Substitutions and Changing the Length of Cationic Residues. Biomolecules 2018; 8:biom8020019. [PMID: 29671805 PMCID: PMC6023086 DOI: 10.3390/biom8020019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2018] [Revised: 04/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) constitute a promising alternative for the development of new antibiotics that could potentially counteract the growing number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, the AMP structure⁻function relationships remain unclear and detailed studies are still necessary. The positively charged amino acid residues (Arg and Lys) play a crucial role in the activity of most AMPs due to the promotion of electrostatic interactions between the peptides and bacterial membranes. In this work we have analyzed the antimicrobial and structural properties of several Trp-rich AMPs containing exclusively either Arg or Lys as the positively charged residues. Their antimicrobial activity and mechanism of action were investigated, showing that Lys residues give rise to a reduced antimicrobial potency for most peptides, which was correlated, in turn, with a decrease in their ability to permeabilize the cytoplasmic membrane of Escherichia coli. Additionally, the presence of Arg and Lys renders the peptides susceptible to degradation by proteases, such as trypsin, limiting their therapeutic use. Therefore, modifications of the side chain length of Arg and Lys were investigated in an attempt to improve the protease resistance of AMPs. This approach resulted in enhanced stability to trypsin digestion, and in several cases, shorter sidechains conserved or even improved the antimicrobial activity. All together, these results suggest that Arg-to-Lys substitutions, coupled with side chain length modifications, can be extremely useful for improving the activity and stability of AMPs.
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22
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Understanding the antimicrobial properties/activity of an 11-residue Lys homopeptide by alanine and proline scan. Amino Acids 2018; 50:557-568. [DOI: 10.1007/s00726-018-2542-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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23
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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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24
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Rice A, Wereszczynski J. Probing the disparate effects of arginine and lysine residues on antimicrobial peptide/bilayer association. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2017; 1859:1941-1950. [PMID: 28583830 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2017.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Revised: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are key components of the innate immune response and represent promising templates for the development of broad-spectrum alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Most AMPs are short, cationic peptides that interact more strongly with negatively charged prokaryotic membranes than net neutral eukaryotic ones. Both AMPs and synthetic analogues with arginine-like side chains are more active against bacteria than those with lysine-like amine groups, though the atomistic mechanism for this increase in potency remains unclear. To examine this, we conducted comparative molecular dynamics simulations of a model negatively-charged membrane system interacting with two mutants of the AMP KR-12: one with lysine residues mutated to arginines (R-KR12) and one with arginine residues mutated to lysine (K-KR12). Simulations show that both partition analogously to the bilayer and display similar preferences for hydrogen bonding with the anionic POPGs. However, R-KR12 binds stronger to the bilayer than K-KR12 and forms significantly more hydrogen bonds, leading to considerably longer interaction times. Additional simulations with methylated R-KR12 and charge-modified K-KR12 mutants show that the extensive interaction seen in the R-KR12 system is partly due to arginine's strong atomic charge distribution, rather than being purely an effect of the greater number of hydrogen bond donors. Finally, free energy simulations reveal that both peptides are disordered in solution but form an amphipathic α-helix when inserted into the bilayer headgroup region. Overall, these results highlight the role of charge and hydrogen bond strength in peptide bilayer insertion, and offer potential insights for designing more potent analogues in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Rice
- Department of Physics and The Center for Molecular Study of Condensed Soft Matter, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois 60616, USA
| | - J Wereszczynski
- Department of Physics and The Center for Molecular Study of Condensed Soft Matter, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois 60616, USA.
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Taniguchi M, Ochiai A. Characterization and production of multifunctional cationic peptides derived from rice proteins. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2017; 81:634-650. [DOI: 10.1080/09168451.2016.1277944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Food proteins have been identified as a source of bioactive peptides. These peptides are inactive within the sequence of the parent protein and must be released during gastrointestinal digestion, fermentation, or food processing. Of bioactive peptides, multifunctional cationic peptides are more useful than other peptides that have specific activity in promotion of health and/or the treatment of diseases. We have identified and characterized cationic peptides from rice enzymes and proteins that possess multiple functions, including antimicrobial, endotoxin-neutralizing, arginine gingipain-inhibitory, and/or angiogenic activities. In particular, we have elucidated the contribution of cationic amino acids (arginine and lysine) in the peptides to their bioactivities. Further, we have discussed the critical parameters, particularly proteinase preparations and fractionation or purification, in the enzymatic hydrolysis process for producing bioactive peptides from food proteins. Using an ampholyte-free isoelectric focusing (autofocusing) technique as a tool for fractionation, we successfully prepared fractions containing cationic peptides with multiple functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Taniguchi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
- Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Akihito Ochiai
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
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Mishra B, Lushnikova T, Golla RM, Wang X, Wang G. Design and surface immobilization of short anti-biofilm peptides. Acta Biomater 2017; 49:316-328. [PMID: 27915018 PMCID: PMC5253077 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2016.11.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Revised: 11/09/2016] [Accepted: 11/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Short antimicrobial peptides are essential to keep us healthy and their lasting potency can inspire the design of new types of antibiotics. This study reports the design of a family of eight-residue tryptophan-rich peptides (TetraF2W) obtained by converting the four phenylalanines in temporin-SHf to tryptophans. The temporin-SHf template was identified from the antimicrobial peptide database (http://aps.unmc.edu/AP). Remarkably, the double arginine variant (TetraF2W-RR) was more effective in killing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) USA300, but less cytotoxic to human skin HaCat and kidney HEK293 cells, than the lysine-containing dibasic combinations (KR, RK and KK). Killing kinetics and fluorescence spectroscopy suggest membrane targeting of TetraF2W-RR, making it more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance. Because established biofilms on medical devices are difficult to remove, we chose to covalently immobilize TetraF2W-RR onto the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surface to prevent biofilm formation. The successful surface coating of the peptide is supported by FT-IR and XPS spectroscopies, chemical quantification, and antibacterial assays. This peptide-coated surface indeed prevented S. aureus biofilm formation with no cytotoxicity to human cells. In conclusion, TetraF2W-RR is a short Trp-rich peptide with demonstrated antimicrobial and anti-biofilm potency against MRSA in both the free and immobilized forms. Because these short peptides can be synthesized cost effectively, they may be developed into new antimicrobial agents or used as surface coating compounds. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE It is stunning that the total deaths due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection are comparable to AIDS/HIV-1, making it urgent to explore new possibilities. This study deals with this problem by two strategies. First, we have designed a family of novel antimicrobial peptides with merely eight amino acids, making it cost effective for chemical synthesis. These peptides are potent against MRSA USA300. Our study uncovers that the high potency of the tryptophan-rich short peptide is coupled with arginines, whereas these Trp- and Arg-rich peptides are less toxic to select human cells than the lysine-containing analogs. Such a combination generates a more selective peptide. As a second strategy, we also demonstrate successful covalent immobilization of this short peptide to the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surface by first using a chitosan linker, which is easy to obtain. Because biofilms on medical devices are difficult to remove by traditional antibiotics, we also show that the peptide coated surface can prevent biofilm formation. Although rarely demonstrated, we provide evidence that both the free and immobilized peptides target bacterial membranes, rendering it difficult for bacteria to develop resistance. Collectively, the significance of our study is the design of novel antimicrobial peptides provides a useful template for developing novel antimicrobials against MRSA. In addition, orientation-specific immobilization of the same short peptide can prevent biofilm formation on the PET surface, which is widely used in making prosthetic heart valves cuffs and other bio devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biswajit Mishra
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986495 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6495, USA
| | - Tamara Lushnikova
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986495 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6495, USA
| | - Radha M Golla
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986495 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6495, USA
| | - Xiuqing Wang
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986495 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6495, USA; Department of Surgery, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Guangshun Wang
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986495 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6495, USA.
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Taniguchi M, Ochiai A, Takahashi K, Nakamichi SI, Nomoto T, Saitoh E, Kato T, Tanaka T. Antimicrobial activity against Porphyromonas gingivalis and mechanism of action of the cationic octadecapeptide AmyI-1-18 and its amino acid-substituted analogs. J Biosci Bioeng 2016; 122:652-659. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2016.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2016] [Revised: 05/27/2016] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Effects of lactoferrin derived peptides on simulants of biological warfare agents. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2016; 33:3. [PMID: 27832504 PMCID: PMC5104768 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-016-2171-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Lactoferrin (LF) is an important immune protein in neutrophils and secretory fluids of mammals. Bovine LF (bLF) harbours two antimicrobial stretches, lactoferricin and lactoferampin, situated in close proximity in the N1 domain. To mimic these antimicrobial domain parts a chimeric peptide (LFchimera) has been constructed comprising parts of both stretches (LFcin17–30 and LFampin265–284). To investigate the potency of this construct to combat a set of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria which are regarded as simulants for biological warfare agents, the effect on bacterial killing, membrane permeability and membrane polarity were determined in comparison to the constituent peptides and the native bLF. Furthermore we aimed to increase the antimicrobial potency of the bLF derived peptides by cationic amino acid substitutions. Overall, the bactericidal activity of the peptides could be related to membrane disturbing effects, i.e. membrane permeabilization and depolarization. Those effects were most prominent for the LFchimera. Arginine residues were found to be crucial for displaying antimicrobial activity, as lysine to arginine substitutions resulted in an increased antimicrobial activity, affecting mostly LFampin265–284 whereas arginine to lysine substitutions resulted in a decreased bactericidal activity, predominantly in case of LFcin17–30.
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AmyI-1–18, a cationic α-helical antimicrobial octadecapeptide derived from α-amylase in rice, inhibits the translation and folding processes in a protein synthesis system. J Biosci Bioeng 2016; 122:385-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2016.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Revised: 03/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Nguyen LT, Vogel HJ. Staphylokinase has distinct modes of interaction with antimicrobial peptides, modulating its plasminogen-activation properties. Sci Rep 2016; 6:31817. [PMID: 27554435 PMCID: PMC4995489 DOI: 10.1038/srep31817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylokinase (Sak) is a plasminogen activator protein that is secreted by many Staphylococcus aureus strains. Sak also offers protection by binding and inhibiting specific antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Here, we evaluate Sak as a more general interaction partner for AMPs. Studies with melittin, mCRAMP, tritrpticin and bovine lactoferricin indicate that the truncation of the first ten residues of Sak (SakΔN10), which occurs in vivo and uncovers important residues in a bulge region, improves its affinity for AMPs. Melittin and mCRAMP have a lower affinity for SakΔN10, and in docking studies, they bind to the N-terminal segment and bulge region of SakΔN10. By comparison, lactoferricin and tritrpticin form moderately high affinity 1:1 complexes with SakΔN10 and their cationic residues form several electrostatic interactions with the protein's α-helix. Overall, our work identifies two distinct AMP binding surfaces on SakΔN10 whose occupation would lead to either inhibition or promotion of its plasminogen activating properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonard T Nguyen
- Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Hans J Vogel
- Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Taniguchi M, Takahashi N, Takayanagi T, Ikeda A, Ishiyama Y, Saitoh E, Kato T, Ochiai A, Tanaka T. Effect of substituting arginine and lysine with alanine on antimicrobial activity and the mechanism of action of a cationic dodecapeptide (CL(14-25)), a partial sequence of cyanate lyase from rice. Biopolymers 2016; 102:58-68. [PMID: 23982951 DOI: 10.1002/bip.22399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2013] [Revised: 07/26/2013] [Accepted: 08/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The antimicrobial activity of analogs obtained by substituting arginine and lysine in CL(14-25), a cationic α-helical dodecapeptide, with alanine against Porphyromonas gingivalis, a periodontal pathogen, varied significantly depending on the number and position of cationic amino acids. The alanine-substituted analogs had no hemolytic activity, even at a concentration of 1 mM. The antimicrobial activities of CL(K20A) and CL(K20A, K25A) were 3.8-fold and 9.1-fold higher, respectively, than that of CL(14-25). The antimicrobial activity of CL(R15A) was slightly lower than that of CL(14-25), suggesting that arginine at position 15 is not essential but is important for the antimicrobial activity. The experiments in which the alanine-substituted analogs bearing the replacement of arginine at position 24 and/or lysine at position 25 were used showed that arginine at position 24 was crucial for the antimicrobial activity whenever lysine at position 25 was substituted with alanine. Helical wheel projections of the alanine-substituted analogs indicate that the hydrophobicity in the vicinity of leucine at position 16 and alanines at positions 18 and/or 21 increased by substituting lysine at positions 20 and 25 with alanine, respectively. The degrees of diSC3 -5 release from P. gingivalis cells and disruption of GUVs induced by the alanine-substituted analogs with different positive charges were not closely related to their antimicrobial activities. The enhanced antimicrobial activities of the alanine-substituted analogs appear to be mainly attributable to the changes in properties such as hydrophobicity and amphipathic propensity due to alanine substitution and not to their extents of positive charge (cationicity).
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Taniguchi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan; Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Niigata University, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan
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32
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Haug BE, Camilio KA, Eliassen LT, Stensen W, Svendsen JS, Berg K, Mortensen B, Serin G, Mirjolet JF, Bichat F, Rekdal Ø. Discovery of a 9-mer Cationic Peptide (LTX-315) as a Potential First in Class Oncolytic Peptide. J Med Chem 2016; 59:2918-27. [PMID: 26982623 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b02025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Oncolytic immunotherapies represent a new promising strategy in the treatment of cancer. In our efforts to develop oncolytic peptides, we identified a series of chemically modified 9-mer cationic peptides that were highly effective against both drug-resistant and drug-sensitive cancer cells and with lower toxicity toward normal cells. Among these peptides, LTX-315 displayed superior anticancer activity and was selected as a lead candidate. This peptide showed relative high plasma protein binding abilities and a human plasma half-life of 160 min, resulting in formation of nontoxic metabolites. In addition, the lead candidate demonstrated relatively low ability to inhibit CYP450 enzymes. Collectively these data indicated that this peptide has potential to be developed as a new anticancer agent for intratumoral administration and is currently being evaluated in a phase I/IIa study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bengt Erik Haug
- Lytix Biopharma AS , Sykehusveien 21, NO-9294 Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Chemistry and Centre for Pharmacy, University of Bergen , Allégaten 41, NO-5007 Bergen, Norway
| | - Ketil André Camilio
- Lytix Biopharma AS , Sykehusveien 21, NO-9294 Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway , NO-9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Wenche Stensen
- Lytix Biopharma AS , Sykehusveien 21, NO-9294 Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Chemistry, UiT The Arctic University of Norway , NO-9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - John Sigurd Svendsen
- Lytix Biopharma AS , Sykehusveien 21, NO-9294 Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Chemistry, UiT The Arctic University of Norway , NO-9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Kristel Berg
- Lytix Biopharma AS , Sykehusveien 21, NO-9294 Tromsø, Norway
| | | | | | | | | | - Øystein Rekdal
- Lytix Biopharma AS , Sykehusveien 21, NO-9294 Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway , NO-9037 Tromsø, Norway
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Taniguchi M, Ochiai A, Takahashi K, Nakamichi SI, Nomoto T, Saitoh E, Kato T, Tanaka T. Effect of alanine, leucine, and arginine substitution on antimicrobial activity against candida albicans and action mechanism of a cationic octadecapeptide derived from α-amylase of rice. Biopolymers 2016; 106:219-229. [DOI: 10.1002/bip.22817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2015] [Revised: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Taniguchi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
- Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Akihito Ochiai
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Takahashi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Shun-ichi Nakamichi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Takafumi Nomoto
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Eiichi Saitoh
- Graduate School of Technology; Niigata Institute of Technology; Niigata 945-1195 Japan
| | - Tetsuo Kato
- Department of Chemistry; Tokyo Dental College; Tokyo 101-0062 Japan
| | - Takaaki Tanaka
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
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Taniguchi M, Ochiai A, Matsushima K, Tajima K, Kato T, Saitoh E, Tanaka T. Endotoxin-neutralizing activity and mechanism of action of a cationic α-helical antimicrobial octadecapeptide derived from α-amylase of rice. Peptides 2016; 75:101-8. [PMID: 26643956 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2015.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2015] [Revised: 11/09/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
We have previously reported that AmyI-1-18, an octadecapeptide derived from α-amylase (AmyI-1) of rice, is a novel cationic α-helical peptide that exhibited antimicrobial activity against human pathogens, including Porphyromonas gingivalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Propionibacterium acnes, Streptococcus mutans, and Candida albicans. In this study, to further investigate the potential functions of AmyI-1-18, we examined its inhibitory ability against the endotoxic activities of lipopolysaccharides (LPSs, smooth and Rc types) and lipid A from Escherichia coli. AmyI-1-18 inhibited the production of endotoxin-induced nitric oxide (NO), an inflammatory mediator, in mouse macrophages (RAW264) in a concentration-dependent manner. The results of a chromogenic Limulus amebocyte lysate assay illustrated that the ability [50% effective concentration (EC50): 0.17 μM] of AmyI-1-18 to neutralize lipid A was similar to its ability (EC50: 0.26 μM) to neutralize LPS, suggesting that AmyI-1-18 specifically binds to the lipid A moiety of LPS. Surface plasmon resonance analysis of the interaction between AmyI-1-18 and LPS or lipid A also suggested that AmyI-1-18 directly binds to the lipid A moiety of LPS because the dissociation constant (KD) of AmyI-1-18 with lipid A is 5.6×10(-10) M, which is similar to that (4.3×10(-10) M) of AmyI-1-18 with LPS. In addition, AmyI-1-18 could block the binding of LPS-binding protein to LPS, although its ability was less than that of polymyxin B. These results suggest that AmyI-1-18 expressing antimicrobial and endotoxin-neutralizing activities is useful as a safe and potent host defense peptide against pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria in many fields of healthcare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Taniguchi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan; Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan.
| | - Akihito Ochiai
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Kenta Matsushima
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Koji Tajima
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Kato
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Dental College, Tokyo 101-0062, Japan
| | - Eiichi Saitoh
- Graduate School of Technology, Niigata Institute of Technology, Niigata 945-1195, Japan
| | - Takaaki Tanaka
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
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Evich M, Stroeva E, Zheng YG, Germann MW. Effect of methylation on the side-chain pKa value of arginine. Protein Sci 2015; 25:479-86. [PMID: 26540340 DOI: 10.1002/pro.2838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Revised: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Arginine methylation is important in biological systems. Recent studies link the deregulation of protein arginine methyltransferases with certain cancers. To assess the impact of methylation on interaction with other biomolecules, the pKa values of methylated arginine variants were determined using NMR data. The pKa values of monomethylated, symmetrically dimethylated, and asymmetrically dimethylated arginine are similar to the unmodified arginine (14.2 ± 0.4). Although the pKa value has not been significantly affected by methylation, consequences of methylation include changes in charge distribution and steric effects, suggesting alternative mechanisms for recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Evich
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303
| | - Ekaterina Stroeva
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303
| | | | - Markus W Germann
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303
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Role of arginine and lysine in the antimicrobial mechanism of histone-derived antimicrobial peptides. FEBS Lett 2015; 589:3915-20. [PMID: 26555191 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2015.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Revised: 10/27/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Translocation of cell-penetrating peptides is often promoted by increased content of arginine or other guanidinium groups. However, relatively little research has considered the role of these functional groups on antimicrobial peptide activity. This study compared the activity of three histone-derived antimicrobial peptides-buforin II, DesHDAP1, and parasin-with variants that contain only lysine or arginine cationic residues. These peptides operate via different mechanisms as parasin causes membrane permeabilization while buforin II and DesHDAP1 translocate into bacteria. For all peptides, antibacterial activity increased with increased arginine content. Higher arginine content increased permeabilization for parasin while it improved translocation for buforin II and DesHDAP1. These observations provide insight into the relative importance of arginine and lysine in these antimicrobial peptides.
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Taniguchi M, Ochiai A, Kondo H, Fukuda S, Ishiyama Y, Saitoh E, Kato T, Tanaka T. Pyrrhocoricin, a proline-rich antimicrobial peptide derived from insect, inhibits the translation process in the cell-free Escherichia coli protein synthesis system. J Biosci Bioeng 2015; 121:591-8. [PMID: 26472128 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2015.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Revised: 09/07/2015] [Accepted: 09/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that pyrrhocoricin, a proline-rich antimicrobial peptide (PrAMP), killed sensitive species in a dose-dependent manner by specifically binding to DnaK. Here, on the basis of the finding that DnaK-deficient Escherichia coli strains are susceptible to PrAMPs, we used pyrrhocoricin to investigate internal targets other than DnaK. Using conventional antibiotics (bleomycin, streptomycin, and fosfomycin) that have known modes of action, first, we validated the availability of an assay using a cell-free rapid translation system (RTS), which is an in vitro protein synthesis system based on E. coli lysate, for evaluating inhibition of protein synthesis. We found that, similarly to bleomycin and streptomycin, pyrrhocoricin inhibited GFP synthesis in RTS in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, blockage of transcription and translation steps in RTS was individually estimated using RT-PCR after gene expression to determine mRNA products and using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to determine the amounts of GFP expressed from purified mRNA, respectively. The results demonstrated that this inhibition of GFP synthesis by pyrrhocoricin did not occur at the transcription step but rather at the translation step, in a manner similar to that of GFP synthesis by streptomycin, an inhibitor of the translation step by causing misreading of tRNA. These results suggest that RTS is a powerful assay system for determining if antimicrobial peptides inhibit protein synthesis and its transcription and/or translation steps. This is the first study to have shown that pyrrhocoricin inhibited protein synthesis by specifically repressing the translation step.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Taniguchi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan; Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan.
| | - Akihito Ochiai
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kondo
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Shun Fukuda
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Yohei Ishiyama
- Center for Fostering Innovative Leadership, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Eiichi Saitoh
- Graduate School of Technology, Niigata Institute of Technology, Niigata 945-1195, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Kato
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Dental College, Tokyo 101-0062, Japan
| | - Takaaki Tanaka
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
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Peptides and Peptidomimetics for Antimicrobial Drug Design. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2015; 8:366-415. [PMID: 26184232 PMCID: PMC4588174 DOI: 10.3390/ph8030366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2015] [Revised: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to introduce and highlight a few classes of traditional antimicrobial peptides with a focus on structure-activity relationship studies. After first dissecting the important physiochemical properties that influence the antimicrobial and toxic properties of antimicrobial peptides, the contributions of individual amino acids with respect to the peptides antibacterial properties are presented. A brief discussion of the mechanisms of action of different antimicrobials as well as the development of bacterial resistance towards antimicrobial peptides follows. Finally, current efforts on novel design strategies and peptidomimetics are introduced to illustrate the importance of antimicrobial peptide research in the development of future antibiotics.
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Lee E, Kim JK, Jeon D, Jeong KW, Shin A, Kim Y. Functional Roles of Aromatic Residues and Helices of Papiliocin in its Antimicrobial and Anti-inflammatory Activities. Sci Rep 2015; 5:12048. [PMID: 26156126 PMCID: PMC4496781 DOI: 10.1038/srep12048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 06/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A cecropin-like peptide, papiliocin, isolated from the swallowtail butterfly Papilio xuthus, possesses high selectivity against gram-negative bacteria. Since Trp(2) and Phe(5) are highly conserved residues in cecropin-like peptides, we investigated the role of Trp(2) and Phe(5) in antibacterial activity. Substitution of Trp(2) and Phe(5) in papiliocin with Ala (papiliocin-2A and papiliocin-5A) revealed that Trp(2) is a key residue in its antibacterial activities. In order to understand the structural requirements for papiliocin function and to design shorter, but more potent, peptide antibiotics, we designed papiliocin constructs, PapN (residues Arg(1)-Ala(22) from the N-terminal amphipathic helix). PapN exhibited significant broad-spectrum antibacterial activities without cytotoxicity. Bactericidal kinetics of peptides against E.coli showed that papiliocin completely and rapidly killed E.coli in less than 10 minutes at 2× MIC concentration, while papiliocin-2A and papiliocin-5A killed four times more slowly than papiliocin. The PapN series peptides permeabilized bacterial membranes less effectively than papiliocin, showing no antibacterial activities in an hour. The results imply that the Trp(2) and Phe(5) in the amphipathic N-terminal helix are important in the rapid permeabilization of the gram-negative bacterial membrane. The hydrophobic C-terminal residues permeabilize the hydrophobic bacterial cell membrane synergistically with these aromatic residues, providing selectivity against gram-negative bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunjung Lee
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, South Korea
| | - Jin-Kyoung Kim
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, South Korea
| | - Dasom Jeon
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, South Korea
| | - Ki-Woong Jeong
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, South Korea
| | - Areum Shin
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, South Korea
| | - Yangmee Kim
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, South Korea
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40
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Taniguchi M, Ochiai A, Takahashi K, Nakamichi SI, Nomoto T, Saitoh E, Kato T, Tanaka T. Antimicrobial activity and mechanism of action of a novel cationic α-helical octadecapeptide derived from α-amylase of rice. Biopolymers 2015; 104:73-83. [DOI: 10.1002/bip.22605] [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: 12/04/2014] [Accepted: 12/20/2014] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Taniguchi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
- Center for Transdisciplinary Research; Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Akihito Ochiai
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Takahashi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Shun-ichi Nakamichi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Takafumi Nomoto
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Eiichi Saitoh
- Graduate School of Technology, Niigata Institute of Technology; Niigata 945-1195 Japan
| | - Tetsuo Kato
- Department of Chemistry; Tokyo Dental College; Tokyo 101-0062 Japan
| | - Takaaki Tanaka
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
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41
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Effect of recombinant prophenin 2 on the integrity and viability of Trichomonas vaginalis. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:430436. [PMID: 25815316 PMCID: PMC4359812 DOI: 10.1155/2015/430436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2014] [Accepted: 09/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Trichomonas vaginalis is the causal agent of trichomoniasis, which is associated with preterm child delivery, low birth weight, and an increased risk of infection by human papilloma virus and human immunodeficiency virus following exposure. Several reports have established increasing numbers of trichomoniasis cases resistant to metronidazole, the agent used for treatment, and it is therefore important to identify new therapeutic alternatives. Previously, our group reported the effect of tritrpticin, a synthetic peptide derived from porcine prophenin, on T. vaginalis; however, the hemolytic activity of this small peptide complicates its possible use as a therapeutic agent. In this study, we report that the propeptide and the processed peptide of prophenin 2 (cleaved with hydroxylamine) affected the integrity and growth of T. vaginalis and that pro-prophenin 2 displays some resistance to proteolysis by T. vaginalis proteinases at 1 h. Its effect on T. vaginalis as well as its low hemolytic activity and short-time stability to parasite proteinases makes prophenin 2 an interesting candidate for synergistic or alternative treatment against T. vaginalis.
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42
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Arias M, Nguyen LT, Kuczynski AM, Lejon T, Vogel HJ. Position-Dependent Influence of the Three Trp Residues on the Membrane Activity of the Antimicrobial Peptide, Tritrpticin. Antibiotics (Basel) 2014; 3:595-616. [PMID: 27025758 PMCID: PMC4790384 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics3040595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2014] [Revised: 10/23/2014] [Accepted: 10/23/2014] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) constitute promising candidates for the development of new antibiotics. Among the ever-expanding family of AMPs, tritrpticin has strong antimicrobial activity against a broad range of pathogens. This 13-residue peptide has an unusual amino acid sequence that is almost symmetrical and features three central Trp residues with two Arg residues near each end of the peptide. In this work, the role of the three sequential Trp residues in tritrpticin was studied in a systematic fashion by making a series of synthetic peptides with single-, double- and triple-Trp substitutions to Tyr or Ala. 1H NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrated the ability of all of the tritrpticin-analog peptides to interact with negatively-charged membranes. Consequently, most tritrpticin analogs exhibited the ability to permeabilize synthetic ePC:ePG (egg-yolk phosphatidylcholine (ePC), egg-yolk phosphatidylglycerol (ePG)) vesicles and live Escherichia coli bacteria. The membrane perturbation characteristics were highly dependent on the location of the Trp residue substitution, with Trp6 being the most important residue and Trp8 the least. The membrane permeabilization activity of the peptides in synthetic and biological membranes was directly correlated with the antimicrobial potency of the peptides against E. coli. These results contribute to the understanding of the role of each of the three Trp residues to the antimicrobial activity of tritrpticin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio Arias
- Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | - Leonard T Nguyen
- Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | - Andrea M Kuczynski
- Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | - Tore Lejon
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, UiT-The Artic University of Norway, Tromsø N-9037, Norway.
| | - Hans J Vogel
- Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
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43
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Andreev K, Bianchi C, Laursen JS, Citterio L, Hein-Kristensen L, Gram L, Kuzmenko I, Olsen CA, Gidalevitz D. Guanidino groups greatly enhance the action of antimicrobial peptidomimetics against bacterial cytoplasmic membranes. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2014; 1838:2492-2502. [PMID: 24878450 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2014.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2013] [Revised: 05/11/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides or their synthetic mimics are a promising class of potential new antibiotics. Herein we assess the effect of the type of cationic side chain (i.e., guanidino vs. amino groups) on the membrane perturbing mechanism of antimicrobial α-peptide-β-peptoid chimeras. Langmuir monolayers composed of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylglycerol (DPPG) were used to model cytoplasmic membranes of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, while lipopolysaccharide Kdo2-lipid A monolayers were mimicking the outer membrane of Gram-negative species. We report the results of the measurements using an array of techniques, including high-resolution synchrotron surface X-ray scattering, epifluorescence microscopy, and in vitro antimicrobial activity to study the molecular mechanisms of peptidomimetic interaction with bacterial membranes. We found guanidino group-containing chimeras to exhibit greater disruptive activity on DPPG monolayers than the amino group-containing analogues. However, this effect was not observed for lipopolysaccharide monolayers where the difference was negligible. Furthermore, the addition of the nitrobenzoxadiazole fluorophore did not reduce the insertion activity of these antimicrobials into both model membrane systems examined, which may be useful for future cellular localization studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin Andreev
- Center for Molecular Study of Condensed Soft Matter (μCoSM), Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering and Department of Physics, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3440 S. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60616 (USA)
| | - Christopher Bianchi
- Center for Molecular Study of Condensed Soft Matter (μCoSM), Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering and Department of Physics, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3440 S. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60616 (USA)
| | - Jonas S Laursen
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 207, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark)
| | - Linda Citterio
- Department of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Matematiktorvet 301, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark)
| | - Line Hein-Kristensen
- , National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads 221, DK-2800, Kgs Lyngby (Denmark)
| | - Lone Gram
- Department of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Matematiktorvet 301, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark)
| | - Ivan Kuzmenko
- Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Lemont, IL 60439 (USA)
| | - Christian A Olsen
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 207, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark)
| | - David Gidalevitz
- Center for Molecular Study of Condensed Soft Matter (μCoSM), Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering and Department of Physics, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3440 S. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60616 (USA)
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44
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Human neutrophil peptide 1 variants bearing arginine modified cationic side chains: effects on membrane partitioning. Biophys Chem 2014; 190-191:32-40. [PMID: 24820901 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2014.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2014] [Revised: 04/14/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
α-Defensins (e.g. human neutrophil peptides, HNPs) have a broad spectrum bactericidal activity contributing to human innate immunity. The positive charge of amino acid side chains is responsible for the first interaction of cationic antimicrobial peptides with negatively charged bacterial membranes. α-Defensins contain a high content of Arg residues compared to Lys. In this paper, different peptide analogs including substitution of Arg-14 respectively with N(G)-N(G')-asymmetric dimethyl-l-arginine (ADMA), N(G)-N(G')-symmetric dimethyl-l-arginine (SDMA) and Lys (R14K and R15KR14KR15K) variants have been studied to test the role of Arg guanidino group and the localized cationic charge of Lys for interaction with lipid membranes. Our findings show that all the variants have a decreased disruptive activity against the bilayer. The methylated analogs show a reduction in membrane partitioning due to the lack of their ability to form hydrogen bonds. Comparison with the native HNP-1 peptide has been discussed.
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45
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Wang F, Qin L, Wong P, Gao J. Effects of lysine methylation on gramicidin A channel folding in lipid membranes. Biopolymers 2013; 100:656-61. [DOI: 10.1002/bip.22268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2013] [Accepted: 04/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fang Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Merkert Chemistry Center; Boston College; 2609 Beacon Street Chestnut Hill MA 02467
| | - Luoheng Qin
- Department of Chemistry, Merkert Chemistry Center; Boston College; 2609 Beacon Street Chestnut Hill MA 02467
| | - Patrick Wong
- Department of Chemistry, Merkert Chemistry Center; Boston College; 2609 Beacon Street Chestnut Hill MA 02467
| | - Jianmin Gao
- Department of Chemistry, Merkert Chemistry Center; Boston College; 2609 Beacon Street Chestnut Hill MA 02467
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46
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Pinto EG, Pimenta DC, Antoniazzi MM, Jared C, Tempone AG. Antimicrobial peptides isolated from Phyllomedusa nordestina (Amphibia) alter the permeability of plasma membrane of Leishmania and Trypanosoma cruzi. Exp Parasitol 2013; 135:655-60. [PMID: 24113627 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2013.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2013] [Revised: 09/13/2013] [Accepted: 09/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Nature has provided inspiration for Drug Discovery studies and amphibian secretions have been used as a promising source of effective peptides which could be explored as novel drug prototypes for neglected parasitic diseases as Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. In this study, we isolated four antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from Phyllomedusa nordestina secretion, and studied their effectiveness against Leishmania (L.) infantum and Trypanosoma cruzi. The antiparasitic fractions were characterized by mass spectrometry and Edman degradation, leading to the identification of dermaseptins 1 and 4 and phylloseptins 7 and 8. T. cruzi trypomastigotes were susceptible to peptides, showing IC50 values in the range concentration of 0.25-0.68 μM. Leishmania (L.) infantum showed susceptibility to phylloseptin 7, presenting an IC50 value of 10 μM. Except for phylloseptin 7 which moderate showed cytotoxicity (IC50=34 μM), the peptides induced no cellular damage to mammalian cells. The lack of mitochondrial oxidative activity of parasites detected by the MTT assay, suggested that peptides were leishmanicidal and trypanocidal. By using the fluorescent probe SYTOX(®) Green, dermaseptins 1 and 4 and phylloseptins 7 and 8 showed time-dependent plasma membrane permeabilization of T. cruzi; phylloseptin 7 also showed a similar effect in Leishmania parasites. The present study demonstrates for the first time that AMPs target the plasma membrane of Leishmania and T. cruzi, leading to cellular death. Considering the potential of amphibian peptides against protozoan parasites and the reduced mammalian toxicity, they may contribute as scaffolds for drug design studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Gracielle Pinto
- Departament of Parasitology, Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Av. Dr. Arnaldo 351, 8(o) Andar, 01246-000 São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Dr. Enéas de Carvalho Aguiar, 470, 05403-000 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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47
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Taniguchi M, Ikeda A, Nakamichi SI, Ishiyama Y, Saitoh E, Kato T, Ochiai A, Tanaka T. Antimicrobial activity and mechanism of action of a novel cationic α-helical octadecapeptide derived from heat shock protein 70 of rice. Peptides 2013; 48:147-55. [PMID: 23973864 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2013.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2013] [Revised: 08/06/2013] [Accepted: 08/06/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Hsp70(241-258), an octadecapeptide derived from the heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) of rice (Oryza sativa L. japonica), is a novel cationic α-helical antimicrobial peptide (AMP) that contains four lysine, two arginine, and two histidine residues. The antimicrobial activity of Hsp70(241-258) against Porphyromonas gingivalis, a periodontal pathogen, and Candida albicans, an opportunistic fungal pathogen, was quantitatively evaluated using a chemiluminescence method that measures ATP derived from viable cells. The 50% growth-inhibitory concentrations of Hsp70(241-258) against P. gingivalis and C. albicans cells were 63 μM and 70 μM, respectively. Hsp70(241-258) had little or no hemolytic activity even at 1mM, and showed negligible cytotoxicity up to 300 μM. The degrees of calcein leakage from large unilamellar vesicles, which mimic the membranes of Gram-negative bacteria, and 3,3'-dipropylthiadicarbocyanine iodide release from P. gingivalis cells induced by the addition of Hsp70(241-258) increased in a concentration-dependent manner. When Hsp70(241-258) was added to calcein-acetoxymethyl ester-loaded C. albicans cells, calcein release from the cells increased in a concentration-dependent manner. Flow cytometric analysis also showed that the percentages of C. albicans cells stained with propidium iodide, a DNA-intercalating dye, increased as the concentration of Hsp70(241-258) added was increased. Therefore, Hsp70(241-258) appears to exhibit antimicrobial activity against P. gingivalis and C. albicans through membrane disruption. These results suggest that Hsp70(241-258) could be useful as a safe and potent AMP against P. gingivalis and C. albicans in many fields of health care, especially in the control of oral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Taniguchi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan; Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan.
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48
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Senille V, Lelievre D, Paquet F, Garnier N, Lamb N, Legrand A, Delmas AF, Landon C. The addressing fragment of mitogaligin: first insights into functional and structural properties. Chembiochem 2013; 14:711-20. [PMID: 23532929 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201200715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2012] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Mitogaligin is a mitochondrion-targeting protein involved in cell death. The sequence of the protein is unrelated to that of any known pro- or antiapoptotic protein. Mitochondrial targeting is controlled by an internal sequence from residues 31 to 53, and although this sequence is essential and sufficient to provoke cell death, the precise mechanism of action at the mitochondrial membrane remains to be elucidated. Here, by focusing on the [31-53] fragment, we first assessed and confirmed its cell cytotoxicity by microinjection. Subsequently, with the aid of membrane models, we evaluated the impact of the membrane environment on the 3D structure of the peptide and on how the peptide is embedded and oriented within membranes. The fragment is well organized, even though it does not contain a canonical secondary structure, and adopts an interfacial location. Structural comparison with other membrane-interacting Trp-rich peptides demonstrated similarities with the antimicrobial peptide tritrpcidin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violette Senille
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301 affiliated to the University of Orléans, Rue Charles Sadron, 45071 Orléans cedex 2, France
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49
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Takei N, Takahashi N, Takayanagi T, Ikeda A, Hashimoto K, Takagi M, Hamada T, Saitoh E, Ochiai A, Tanaka T, Taniguchi M. Antimicrobial activity and mechanism of action of a novel cationic α-helical dodecapeptide, a partial sequence of cyanate lyase from rice. Peptides 2013; 42:55-62. [PMID: 23270672 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2012.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2012] [Revised: 12/15/2012] [Accepted: 12/17/2012] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
CL(14-25), a dodecapeptide, that is a partial region near N-terminus of cyanate lyase (CL, EC 4.3.99.1) from rice (Oryza sativa L. japonica), contains three arginine and two lysine residues. It was a novel cationic α-helical antimicrobial peptide. The antimicrobial activity of CL(14-25) against Porphyromonas gingivalis, a periodontal pathogen, was quantitatively evaluated by a chemiluminescence method that measures ATP derived from viable cells. The 50% growth-inhibitory concentration of CL(14-25) against P. gingivalis cells was 145 μM. CL(14-25), even at a concentration of 800 μM, had no hemolytic activity. When giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) that mimic the membrane composition of Gram-negative bacteria were used, microscopy image analysis suggested that CL(14-25) disrupted GUVs in a detergent-like manner. Therefore, CL(14-25) appears to exhibit antimicrobial activity through membrane disruption. To investigate the contribution of cationic amino acid residues in CL(14-25) to its antimicrobial activity, we synthesized four truncated CL analogs, in which one or two cationic amino acid residues were deleted from the N- and C- termini of CL(14-25). The degrees of calcein leakage from large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) and 3,3'-dipropylthiadicarbocyanine iodide (diSC3-5) release from P. gingivalis cells induced by truncated CL analogs were closely related to their antimicrobial activities. CL analogs, which were truncated by removing an arginine residue from the N-terminus and a lysine residue from the C-terminus maintained their antimicrobial activity. However, CL analogs, which were further truncated by removing two arginine residues from the N-terminus, and an arginine and a lysine residue from the C-terminus, rarely exhibited antimicrobial activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norihiro Takei
- Center for Fostering Innovative Leadership, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
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50
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Karstad R, Isaksen G, Wynendaele E, Guttormsen Y, De Spiegeleer B, Brandsdal BO, Svendsen JS, Svenson J. Targeting the S1 and S3 Subsite of Trypsin with Unnatural Cationic Amino Acids Generates Antimicrobial Peptides with Potential for Oral Administration. J Med Chem 2012; 55:6294-305. [DOI: 10.1021/jm3002058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rasmus Karstad
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Tromsø, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Geir Isaksen
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Tromsø, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway
- The Norwegian Structural Biology
Centre and the Centre for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry,
Department of Chemistry, University of Tromsø, N-9037 Tromsø,
Norway
| | - Evelien Wynendaele
- Drug Quality and
Registration
Group, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Harelbekestraat
72, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Yngve Guttormsen
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Tromsø, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Bart De Spiegeleer
- Drug Quality and
Registration
Group, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Harelbekestraat
72, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bjørn-Olav Brandsdal
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Tromsø, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway
- The Norwegian Structural Biology
Centre and the Centre for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry,
Department of Chemistry, University of Tromsø, N-9037 Tromsø,
Norway
| | | | - Johan Svenson
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Tromsø, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway
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