1
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Verma NK, Dewangan RP, Harioudh MK, Ghosh JK. Introduction of a β-leucine residue instead of leucine 9 and glycine 10 residues in Temporin L for improved cell selectivity, stability and activity against planktonic and biofilm of methicillin resistant S. aureus. Bioorg Chem 2023; 134:106440. [PMID: 36870201 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Leucine and glycine residues, at the 9th and 10th positions of helical domain of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptide (AMP), Temporin L were substituted with an unnatural amino acid, β-leucine (homovaline) to improve its serum protease stability, haemolytic/cytotoxic properties and reduce the size to some extent. The designed analogue, L9βl-TL showed either equal or improved antimicrobial activity to TL against different microorganisms including the resistant strains. Interestingly, L9βl-TL also exhibited lower haemolytic and cytotoxic activities against human red blood cells and 3T3 cells, respectively. Moreover, L9βl-TL showed antibacterial activity in presence of 25% (v/v) human serum and showed resistance against proteolytic cleavage in presence of it that suggested the serum protease stability of the TL-analogue. L9βl-TL exhibited un-ordered secondary structures in both bacterial and mammalian membrane mimetic lipid vesicles as compared to the helical structures of TL in these environments. However, tryptophan fluorescence studies demonstrated more selective interaction of L9βl-TL with bacterial membrane mimetic lipid vesicles in comparison to non-selective interactions of TL with both kinds of lipid vesicles. Membrane depolarization studies with live MRSA and bacterial membrane-mimetic lipid vesicles suggested a membrane-disrupting mode of action of L9βl-TL. L9βl-TL showed faster bactericidal mechanism compared to TL against MRSA. Interestingly, L9βl-TL was found as more potent than TL either in inhibiting biofilm formation or in eradicating the mature biofilm formed by MRSA. Overall, the present work demonstrates a simple and useful strategy to design of an analogue of TL, with minimal modifications while maintaining its antimicrobial activity with lesser toxicity and higher stability which could be attempted for other AMPs as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeraj Kumar Verma
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Rikeshwer Prasad Dewangan
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India.
| | - Munesh Kumar Harioudh
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Jimut Kanti Ghosh
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India.
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2
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Tripathi AK, Vishwanatha JK. Role of Anti-Cancer Peptides as Immunomodulatory Agents: Potential and Design Strategy. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14122686. [PMID: 36559179 PMCID: PMC9781574 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14122686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The usage of peptide-based drugs to combat cancer is gaining significance in the pharmaceutical industry. The collateral damage caused to normal cells due to the use of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc. has given an impetus to the search for alternative methods of cancer treatment. For a long time, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been shown to display anticancer activity. However, the immunomodulatory activity of anti-cancer peptides has not been researched very extensively. The interconnection of cancer and immune responses is well-known. Hence, a search and design of molecules that can show anti-cancer and immunomodulatory activity can be lead molecules in this field. A large number of anti-cancer peptides show good immunomodulatory activity by inhibiting the pro-inflammatory responses that assist cancer progression. Here, we thoroughly review both the naturally occurring and synthetic anti-cancer peptides that are reported to possess both anti-cancer and immunomodulatory activity. We also assess the structural and biophysical parameters that can be utilized to improve the activity. Both activities are mostly reported by different groups, however, we discuss them together to highlight their interconnection, which can be used in the future to design peptide drugs in the field of cancer therapeutics.
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3
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Zhang M, Ouyang J, Fu L, Xu C, Ge Y, Sun S, Li X, Lai S, Ke H, Yuan B, Yang K, Yu H, Gao L, Wang Y. Hydrophobicity Determines the Bacterial Killing Rate of α-Helical Antimicrobial Peptides and Influences the Bacterial Resistance Development. J Med Chem 2022; 65:14701-14720. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Minghui Zhang
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu215123, China
| | - Jianhong Ouyang
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu215123, China
| | - Lei Fu
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing100875, China
| | - Cheng Xu
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou215006Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuke Ge
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou215006Jiangsu, China
| | - Shuqing Sun
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou215006Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiangyuan Li
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing100875, China
| | - Shian Lai
- Department of Molecular Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Kyoto610-0394, Japan
| | - Hengte Ke
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu215123, China
| | - Bing Yuan
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong523808, China
| | - Kai Yang
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou215006Jiangsu, China
| | - Haining Yu
- School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning116024, China
| | - Lianghui Gao
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing100875, China
| | - Yipeng Wang
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu215123, China
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4
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Lessons from a Single Amino Acid Substitution: Anticancer and Antibacterial Properties of Two Phospholipase A2-Derived Peptides. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2021; 44:46-62. [PMID: 35723383 PMCID: PMC8929095 DOI: 10.3390/cimb44010004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The membrane-active nature of phospholipase A2-derived peptides makes them potential candidates for antineoplastic and antibacterial therapies. Two short 13-mer C-terminal fragments taken from snake venom Lys49-PLA2 toxins (p-AppK and p-Acl), differing by a leucine/phenylalanine substitution, were synthesized and their bioactivity was evaluated. Their capacity to interfere with the survival of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as with solid and liquid tumors was assessed in vitro. Toxicity to red blood cells was investigated via in silico and in vitro techniques. The mode of action was mainly studied by molecular dynamics simulations and membrane permeabilization assays. Briefly, both peptides have dual activity, i.e., they act against both bacteria, including multidrug-resistant strains and tumor cells. All tested bacteria were susceptible to both peptides, Pseudomonas aeruginosa being the most affected. RAMOS, K562, NB4, and CEM cells were the main leukemic targets of the peptides. In general, p-Acl showed more significant activity, suggesting that phenylalanine confers advantages to the antibacterial and antitumor mechanism, particularly for osteosarcoma lines (HOS and MG63). Peptide-based treatment increased the uptake of a DNA-intercalating dye by bacteria, suggesting membrane damage. Indeed, p-AppK and p-Acl did not disrupt erythrocyte membranes, in agreement with in silico predictions. The latter revealed that the peptides deform the membrane and increase its permeability by facilitating solvent penetration. This phenomenon is expected to catalyze the permeation of solutes that otherwise could not cross the hydrophobic membrane core. In conclusion, the present study highlights the role of a single amino acid substitution present in natural sequences towards the development of dual-action agents. In other words, dissecting and fine-tuning biomembrane remodeling proteins, such as snake venom phospholipase A2 isoforms, is again demonstrated as a valuable source of therapeutic peptides.
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5
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Pratap Verma D, Ansari MM, Verma NK, Saroj J, Akhtar S, Pant G, Mitra K, Singh BN, Ghosh JK. Tandem Repeat of a Short Human Chemerin-Derived Peptide and Its Nontoxic d-Lysine-Containing Enantiomer Display Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial and Antitubercular Activities. J Med Chem 2021; 64:15349-15366. [PMID: 34662112 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
To design novel antimicrobial peptides by utilizing the sequence of the human host defense protein, chemerin, a seven-residue amphipathic stretch located in the amino acid region, 109-115, was identified, which possesses the highest density of hydrophobic and positively charged residues. Although this 7-mer peptide was inactive toward microorganisms, its 14-mer tandem repeat (Chem-KVL) was highly active against different bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain, and slow- and fast-growing mycobacterial species. The selective enantiomeric substitutions of its two l-lysine residues were attempted to confer cell selectivity and proteolytic stability to Chem-KVL. Chem-8dK with a d-lysine replacement in its middle (eighth position) showed the lowest hemolytic activity against human red blood cells among Chem-KVL analogues and maintained high antimicrobial properties. Chem-8dK showed in vivo efficacy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in BALB/c mice and inhibited the development of resistance in this microorganism up to 30 serial passages and growth of intracellular mycobacteria in THP-1 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devesh Pratap Verma
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Mohd Mustkim Ansari
- Division of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Neeraj Kumar Verma
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Jyotshana Saroj
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Sariyah Akhtar
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Garima Pant
- Electron Microscopy Unit, SAIF &R Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Kalyan Mitra
- Electron Microscopy Unit, SAIF &R Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi 110001, India
| | - Bhupendra Narain Singh
- Division of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi 110001, India
| | - Jimut Kanti Ghosh
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi 110001, India
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6
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Yadav V, Misra R. A review emphasizing on utility of heptad repeat sequence as a tool to design pharmacologically safe peptide-based antibiotics. Biochimie 2021; 191:126-139. [PMID: 34492334 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Extensive usage of antibiotics has created an unprecedented scenario of the rapid emergence of many drug-resistant bacteria, which has become an alarming public health concern around the globe. Search for better alternatives that are as efficacious as antibiotics led to the discovery of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). These small cationic amphiphilic peptides have emerged as a promising option as antimicrobial agents, owing to their multifaceted implications against varied pathogens. Recent years have witnessed tremendous growth in research on AMPs resulting in them being tested in clinical trials of which six got approved for topical application. The relatively less successful outcome has been attributed to the poor cell selectivity shown by most of the naturally occurring AMPs. This drawback needs to be circumvented by identifying strategies to design safe and effective peptides. In the present review, we have emphasized the importance of heptad repeat sequence (leucine and/or phenylalanine zipper motif) as a tool that has shown great promise in remodeling the toxic AMPs to safe antimicrobial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Yadav
- Department of Translational Medicine, Clinical Research Centre, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden; Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics (GIGA), University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium.
| | - Richa Misra
- Department of Zoology, Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
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7
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Yan Y, Li Y, Zhang Z, Wang X, Niu Y, Zhang S, Xu W, Ren C. Advances of peptides for antibacterial applications. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2021; 202:111682. [PMID: 33714188 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2021.111682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
In the past few decades, peptide antibacterial products with unique antibacterial mechanisms have attracted widespread interest. They can effectively reduce the probability of drug resistance of bacteria and are biocompatible, so they possess tremendous development prospects. This review provides recent research and analysis on the basic types of antimicrobial peptides (including poly (amino acid)s, short AMPs, and lipopeptides) and factors to optimize antimicrobial effects. It also summarizes the two most important modes of action of antimicrobial peptides and the latest developments in the application of AMPs, including antimicrobial agent, wound healing, preservative, antibacterial coating and others. Finally, we discuss the remaining challenges to improve the antibacterial peptides and propose prospects in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhan Yan
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China
| | - Yuanze Li
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China
| | - Zhiwen Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China
| | - Xinhao Wang
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China
| | - Yuzhong Niu
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China
| | - Shaohua Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China.
| | - Wenlong Xu
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China.
| | - Chunguang Ren
- Yantai Institute of Materia Medica, Yantai, 264000, China.
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8
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Adhikari A, Bhattarai BR, Aryal A, Thapa N, KC P, Adhikari A, Maharjan S, Chanda PB, Regmi BP, Parajuli N. Reprogramming natural proteins using unnatural amino acids. RSC Adv 2021; 11:38126-38145. [PMID: 35498070 PMCID: PMC9044140 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra07028b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Unnatural amino acids have gained significant attention in protein engineering and drug discovery as they allow the evolution of proteins with enhanced stability and activity. The incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins offers a rational approach to engineer enzymes for designing efficient biocatalysts that exhibit versatile physicochemical properties and biological functions. This review highlights the biological and synthetic routes of unnatural amino acids to yield a modified protein with altered functionality and their incorporation methods. Unnatural amino acids offer a wide array of applications such as antibody-drug conjugates, probes for change in protein conformation and structure–activity relationships, peptide-based imaging, antimicrobial activities, etc. Besides their emerging applications in fundamental and applied science, systemic research is necessary to explore unnatural amino acids with novel side chains that can address the limitations of natural amino acids. Incorporation of unnatural amino acids into protein offers wide array of applications in fundamental and applied science.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Anup Adhikari
- Biological Chemistry Lab, Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, 44618, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Bibek Raj Bhattarai
- Biological Chemistry Lab, Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, 44618, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Ashika Aryal
- Department of Chemistry, Birendra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal
| | - Niru Thapa
- Biological Chemistry Lab, Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, 44618, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Puja KC
- Biological Chemistry Lab, Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, 44618, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Ashma Adhikari
- Biological Chemistry Lab, Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, 44618, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Sushila Maharjan
- Biological Chemistry Lab, Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, 44618, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Prem B. Chanda
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, Louisiana 70402, USA
| | - Bishnu P. Regmi
- Department of Chemistry, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, Florida 32307, USA
| | - Niranjan Parajuli
- Biological Chemistry Lab, Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, 44618, Kathmandu, Nepal
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9
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Azmi S, Verma NK, Tripathi JK, Srivastava S, Verma DP, Ghosh JK. Introduction of cell‐selectivity in bovine cathelicidin
BMAP
‐28 by exchanging heptadic isoleucine with the adjacent proline at a non‐heptadic position. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarfuddin Azmi
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division CSIR‐CDRI Lucknow India
- Scientific Research Centre Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Sulaimaniyah Riyadh Saudi Arabia
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10
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Gao J, Zhang M, Zhang F, Wang Y, Ouyang J, Luo X, Yang H, Zhang D, Chen Y, Yu H, Wang Y. Design of a Sea Snake Antimicrobial Peptide Derivative with Therapeutic Potential against Drug-Resistant Bacterial Infection. ACS Infect Dis 2020; 6:2451-2467. [PMID: 32786271 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Infections caused by drug-resistant pathogens are a worldwide challenge for public health. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are regarded as promising antibiotic alternatives for the treatment of drug-resistant infections. In the present study, a series of small peptides were designed based on our previously reported sea snake AMP Hc-CATH. From them, the lead peptide HC1-D2, a truncated peptide entirely substituted by d-amino acids, was selected. HC1-D2 exhibited significantly improved stability and antibiofilm and anti-inflammatory activities. Meanwhile, HC1-D2 retained potent, broad-spectrum, and rapid antimicrobial properties against bacteria and fungi, especially drug-resistant bacteria. Moreover, HC1-D2 showed low propensity to induce bacterial resistance and low cytotoxicity and hemolytic activity. Notably, HC1-D2 showed potent in vivo anti-infective ability in mouse peritonitis models infected by both standard and drug-resistant bacteria. It significantly decreased the bacterial counts in the abdominal cavity and spleen of mice and apparently increased the survival rates of the mice. Acting through the MAPKs inflammatory pathway, HC1-D2 selectively induced the production of chemokine and the subsequent immune cell recruitment to the infection site, while inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines with undesirable toxicities. These much improved properties make HC1-D2 a promising candidate for the development of novel peptide anti-infective agents against drug-resistant infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiuxiang Gao
- School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024, China
| | - Minghui Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Fen Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Biology Department, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550000, China
| | - Jianhong Ouyang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Xuanjin Luo
- Biology Department, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550000, China
| | - Huaixin Yang
- School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024, China
| | - Dengdeng Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Haining Yu
- School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024, China
| | - Yipeng Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
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11
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Kumari T, Verma DP, Afshan T, Verma NK, Pant G, Ali M, Shukla PK, Mitra K, Ghosh JK. A Noncytotoxic Temporin L Analogue with In Vivo Antibacterial and Antiendotoxin Activities and a Nonmembrane-Lytic Mode of Action. ACS Infect Dis 2020; 6:2369-2385. [PMID: 32786286 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Cytotoxic frog antimicrobial peptide Temporin L (TempL) is an attractive molecule for the design of lead antimicrobial agents due to its short size and versatile biological activities. However, noncytotoxic TempL variants with desirable biological activities have rarely been reported. TempL analogue Q3K,TempL is water-soluble and possesses a significant antiendotoxin property along with comparable cytotoxicity to TempL. A phenylalanine residue, located at the hydrophobic face of Q3K,TempL and the "d" position of its phenylalanine zipper sequence, was replaced with a cationic lysine residue. This analogue, Q3K,F8K,TempL, showed reduced hydrophobic moment and was noncytotoxic with lower antimicrobial activity. Interestingly, swapping between tryptophan at the fourth and serine at the sixth positions turned Q3K,F8K,TempL totally amphipathic as reflected by its helical wheel projection with clusters of hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues and the highest hydrophobic moment among these peptides. Surprisingly, this analogue, SW,Q3K,F8K,TempL, was as noncytotoxic as Q3K,F8K,TempL but showed augmented antimicrobial and antiendotoxin properties, comparable to that of TempL and Q3K,TempL. SW,Q3K,F8K,TempL exhibited appreciable survival of mice against P. aeruginosa infection and a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Unlike TempL and Q3K,TempL, SW,Q3K,F8K,TempL adopted an unordered secondary structure in bacterial membrane mimetic lipid vesicles and did not permeabilize them or depolarize the bacterial membrane. Overall, the results demonstrate the design of a nontoxic TempL analogue that possesses clusters of hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues with impaired secondary structure and shows a nonmembrane-lytic mechanism and in vivo antiendotoxin and antimicrobial activities. This paradigm of design of antimicrobial peptide with clusters of hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues and high hydrophobic moment but low secondary structure could be attempted further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tripti Kumari
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - Devesh Pratap Verma
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - Tayyaba Afshan
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - Neeraj Kumar Verma
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - Garima Pant
- Electron Microscopy Unit, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - Mehmood Ali
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - P. K. Shukla
- Microbiology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - Kalyan Mitra
- Electron Microscopy Unit, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - Jimut Kanti Ghosh
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
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12
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An active domain HF-18 derived from hagfish intestinal peptide effectively inhibited drug-resistant bacteria in vitro/vivo. Biochem Pharmacol 2019; 172:113746. [PMID: 31812678 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2019.113746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is spreading faster than the development of new antibiotics into clinical practice. Currently, the design of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), potential new antibacterial agents with rare antimicrobial resistance, is the available strategy to enhance the antimicrobial activity and lower the toxicity of AMPs. In this study, a peptide derived from hagfish intestinal peptide was designed and termed as HF-18 (GFFKKAWRKVKKAFRRVL). After antimicrobial/bactericidal test in vitro, we found that HF-18 exhibited a potent antimicrobial activity with MIC of only 4 μg/ml against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Meanwhile, it eliminated the test bacteria within 1 h, suggesting its rapid bactericidal effect. Importantly, this peptide had no obvious hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity to mammalian cells. Furthermore, its notable antimicrobial effects in vivo was confirmed again in S. aureus induced mouse bacteremia and skin wound infection, reflecting as the decrease in bacterial counts in mouse lung or skin (up to 1.9 or 3.5 log CFU respectively), and including the inhibitory activity on inflammatory cytokines secretion. The possible mechanisms underlying HF-18 against drug-resistant S. aureus may attribute that HF-18 neutralized the negative charge in S. aureus surface and then disrupted the integrity of cell membranes to enhance the permeation of bacterial membrane, showing as the increased uptake of NPN and PI and the obvious morphology changes of S. aureus. In addition, this peptide bound to bacterial genomic DNA to suppress the expression of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (pvl) and nuclease (nuc) genes, which play major roles in S. aureus virulence. The properties of HF-18 suggest a path towards developing antibacterial agents that has stronger antibacterial activity and greater security for clinical treatment of infection induced by S. aureus, especially drug-resistant S. aureus.
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Tufail S, Sherwani MA, Shoaib S, Azmi S, Owais M, Islam N. Ovalbumin self-assembles into amyloid nanosheets that elicit immune responses and facilitate sustained drug release. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:11310-11324. [PMID: 29853634 PMCID: PMC6065171 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.002550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloids are associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, motivating investigations into their structure and function. Although not linked to a specific disease, albumins have been reported to form many structural aggregates. We were interested in investigating host immune responses to amyloid fibrils assembled from the model protein ovalbumin. Surprisingly, upon subjecting ovalbumin to standard denaturing conditions, we encountered giant protein nanosheets harboring amyloid-like features and hypothesized that these nanosheets might have potential in clinical or therapeutic applications. We found that the nanosheets, without the administration of any additional adjuvant, evoked a strong antibody response in mice that was higher than that observed for native ovalbumin. This suggests that amyloid nanosheets have a self-adjuvanting property. The nanosheet-induced immune response was helper T cell 2 (Th2) biased and negligibly inflammatory. While testing whether the nanosheets might form depots for the sustained release of precursor proteins, we did observe release of ovalbumin that mimicked the conformation of native protein. Moreover, the nanosheets could load the anticancer drug doxorubicin and release it in a slow and sustained manner. Taken together, our results suggest that amyloid nanosheets should be further investigated as either an antigen delivery vehicle or a multifunctional antigen and drug co-delivery system, with potential applications in simultaneous immunotherapy and chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saba Tufail
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India; Biochemistry Section, Women's College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India.
| | - Mohd Asif Sherwani
- Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294
| | - Shoaib Shoaib
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India
| | - Sarfuddin Azmi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India
| | - Mohammad Owais
- Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India
| | - Najmul Islam
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India.
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14
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Selective phenylalanine to proline substitution for improved antimicrobial and anticancer activities of peptides designed on phenylalanine heptad repeat. Acta Biomater 2017; 57:170-186. [PMID: 28483698 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2017.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Introducing cell-selectivity in antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) without compromising the antimicrobial and anti-endotoxin properties is a crucial step towards the development of new antimicrobial agents. A peptide designed on phenylalanine heptad repeat possesses significant cytotoxicity along with desired antimicrobial and anti-endotoxin properties. Amino acid substitutions at 'a' and/or 'd' positions of heptad repeats of AMPs could alter their helical structure in mammalian membrane-mimetic environments and cytotoxicity towards mammalian cells. Since proline is a helix breaker, effects of selective proline substitution(s) at 'a' and/or 'd' positions of a 15-residue peptide designed on phenylalanine heptad repeat (FR-15) were investigated. Proline-substituted FR-15 variants were highly selective toward bacteria and fungi over hRBCs and murine 3T3 cells and also retained their antibacterial activities at high salt, serum and elevated temperatures. These non-cytotoxic variants also inhibited LPS-induced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines in human monocytes, THP-1, RAW 264.7 and in BALB/c mice. The two non-cytotoxic variants (FR8P and FR11P) showed potent anti-cancer activity against highly metastatic human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 with IC50 values less than 10μM. At sub-IC50 concentrations, FR8P and FR11P also showed anti-migratory and anti-invasive effects against MDA-MB-231 cells. FR8P and FR11P induced cellular apoptosis by triggering intrinsic apoptotic pathway through depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of caspases. Overall the results demonstrated the utilization of selective phenylalanine to proline substitution in a heptad repeat of phenylalanine residues for the design of cell-selective, broad-spectrum AMPs with significant anti-cancer properties. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE We have demonstrated a methodology to design cell-selective potent antimicrobial and anti-endotoxin peptides by utilizing phenylalanine zipper as a template and replacement of phenylalanine residue(s) from "a" and/or "d" position(s) with proline residue(s) produced non-cytotoxic AMPs with improved antibacterial properties against the drug-resistant strains of bacteria. The work showed that the 'a' and 'd' positions of the phenylalanine heptad repeat could be replaced by an appropriate amino acid to control cytotoxicity of the peptide without compromising its potency in antimicrobial and anti-endotoxin properties. The direct bacterial membrane targeting mechanism of proline substituted analogs of parent peptide makes difficult for bacteria to grow resistance against them. The peptides designed could be lead molecules in the area of sepsis as they possess significant anti-LPS activities for in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly since cancer cells and bacterial cell membranes possess the structural resemblances, the cancer cells are also targets for these peptides making them lead molecules in this field. However, unlike in bacteria where the peptides showed membrane permeabilization property to lyse them, the peptides induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells to inhibit their proliferation and growth. The results are significant because it reveals that "a" and "d" positions of a phenylalanine zipper can be utilized as switches to design cell-selective, antimicrobial, anti-endotoxin and anticancer peptides.
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15
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Ghosh P, Bhoumik A, Saha S, Mukherjee S, Azmi S, Ghosh JK, Dungdung SR. Spermicidal efficacy of VRP, a synthetic cationic antimicrobial peptide, inducing apoptosis and membrane disruption. J Cell Physiol 2017; 233:1041-1050. [DOI: 10.1002/jcp.25958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Prasanta Ghosh
- Sperm Biology LaboratoryCell Biology and Physiology DivisionCSIR—Indian Institute of Chemical BiologyKolkataWest BengalIndia
| | - Arpita Bhoumik
- Sperm Biology LaboratoryCell Biology and Physiology DivisionCSIR—Indian Institute of Chemical BiologyKolkataWest BengalIndia
| | - Sudipta Saha
- Sperm Biology LaboratoryCell Biology and Physiology DivisionCSIR—Indian Institute of Chemical BiologyKolkataWest BengalIndia
| | - Sandipan Mukherjee
- Sperm Biology LaboratoryCell Biology and Physiology DivisionCSIR—Indian Institute of Chemical BiologyKolkataWest BengalIndia
| | - Sarfuddin Azmi
- Molecular and Structural Biology DivisionCSIR—Central Drug Research InstituteLucknowUttar PradeshIndia
- Department of BiochemistryJawaharlal Nehru Medical CollegeA.M.U.AligarhUttar PradeshIndia
| | - Jimut K. Ghosh
- Molecular and Structural Biology DivisionCSIR—Central Drug Research InstituteLucknowUttar PradeshIndia
| | - Sandhya R. Dungdung
- Sperm Biology LaboratoryCell Biology and Physiology DivisionCSIR—Indian Institute of Chemical BiologyKolkataWest BengalIndia
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Kang W, Liu H, Ma L, Wang M, Wei S, Sun P, Jiang M, Guo M, Zhou C, Dou J. Effective antimicrobial activity of a peptide mutant Cbf-14-2 against penicillin-resistant bacteria based on its unnatural amino acids. Eur J Pharm Sci 2017; 105:169-177. [PMID: 28522372 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2017.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Revised: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Broad spectrum activities, a unique mode of actions and rare resistant variants make antimicrobial peptide (AMP) a potential alternative to antibiotics. However, AMPs still have limitations in clinical development due to their physiological stability, toxicity and manufacturing costs. Cbf-14, derived from cathelicidin-BF has been proven to be effective against drug-resistant bacteria. Herein, a series of Cbf-14 mutants were designed to overcome these limitations. Design strategies included substitutions of lysine (Lys) or leucine (Leu) with similar residues such as ornithine (Orn) and norleucine (Ile), which are unnatural amino acids, to generate AMPs with enhanced therapeutic potential. Antimicrobial activity, hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity against mouse spleen cells of the peptide mutants were investigated. Among all of the mutants, Cbf-14-2 was regarded as the most potent candidate with the amino acid sequence of RLLR-Orn-FFR-Orn-LKKSV-NH2, which exhibited a superior antimicrobial activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 4-32μg/ml. Meanwhile, Cbf-14-2 displayed low levels of hemolysis in sheep red blood cells (sRBCs) and negligible cytotoxicity against mouse spleen cells, suggesting low toxicity against mammalian cells. A circular dichroism (CD) study indicated that Cbf-14-2 has a higher alpha-helix content than Cbf-14 (68.3% vs 35.1%) in SDS, which may contribute to its superior activity. Time-killing curves showed Cbf-14-2 can eliminate all tested bacteria within 240min, suggesting its rapid bactericidal effect. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), flow cytometry and calcein release assays revealed its excellent antimicrobial potency by inducing membrane permeation and disruption. In addition, Cbf-14-2 (10mg/kg) could significantly elevate the survival rate of clinical strain infected mice, with a survival rate of 70.0%. Taken together, the data suggest that Cbf-14-2 possesses effective antimicrobial activity against penicillin-resistant bacteria in vitro and in vitro, thus rendering it as a potential anti-infective agent in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Hanhan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Lingman Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Mengxiao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Shanshan Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Pengbo Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Meiling Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Min Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Changlin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China.
| | - Jie Dou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China.
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Piscidin-1-analogs with double L- and D-lysine residues exhibited different conformations in lipopolysaccharide but comparable anti-endotoxin activities. Sci Rep 2017; 7:39925. [PMID: 28051162 PMCID: PMC5209718 DOI: 10.1038/srep39925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
To become clinically effective, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) should be non-cytotoxic to host cells. Piscidins are a group of fish-derived AMPs with potent antimicrobial and antiendotoxin activities but limited by extreme cytotoxicity. We conjectured that introduction of cationic residue(s) at the interface of polar and non-polar faces of piscidins may control their insertion into hydrophobic mammalian cell membrane and thereby reducing cytotoxicity. We have designed several novel analogs of piscidin-1 by substituting threonine residue(s) with L and D-lysine residue(s). L/D-lysine-substituted analogs showed significantly reduced cytotoxicity but exhibited either higher or comparable antibacterial activity akin to piscidin-1. Piscidin-1-analogs demonstrated higher efficacy than piscidin-1 in inhibiting lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pro-inflammatory responses in THP-1 cells. T15,21K-piscidin-1 (0.5 mg/Kg) and T15,21dK-piscidin-1 (1.0 mg/Kg) demonstrated 100% survival of LPS (12.0 mg/Kg)-administered mice. High resolution NMR studies revealed that both piscidin-1 and T15,21K-piscidin-1 adopted helical structures, with latter showing a shorter helix, higher amphipathicity and cationic residues placed at optimal distances to form ionic/hydrogen bond with lipid A of LPS. Remarkably, T15,21dK-piscidin-1 showed a helix-loop-helix structure in LPS and its interactions with LPS could be sustained by the distance of separation of side chains of R7 and D-Lys-15 which is close to the inter-phosphate distance of lipid A.
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18
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Isoleucine/leucine residues at "a" and "d" positions of a heptad repeat sequence are crucial for the cytolytic activity of a short anticancer lytic peptide. Amino Acids 2016; 49:193-202. [PMID: 27778166 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-016-2350-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2016] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Many lytic peptides contain a heptad sequence with leucine or isoleucine residues at "a" and "d" positions. However, their roles in the peptide-induced cytolytic process remain unclear. We have recently reported an anticancer lytic peptide ZXR-2 (FKIGGFIKKLWRSLLA), which contains a shortened zipper-like sequence with Ile/Leu at "a" and "d" positions. To understand the roles of these Ile/Leu residues, a series of analogs were constructed by sequentially replacing the Ile or Leu residue with alanine (Ala). Significant reduction of the cytolytic activity was observed when the Ile (3rd and 7th) and Leu (10th and 14th) residues at the "a" and "d" positions were substituted, while the replacement of the separate Leu (15th) residue had less effect. Based on the quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence of the peptides and their induced surface pressure changes of lipid monolayer, it was conjectured that the peptide ZXR-2 might insert into cell membranes from the C-terminal and to a depth of the W11 position. Accordingly, I3, I7, and L10 residues which mainly exposed in aqueous solution were more responsible for the peptide self-association on cell membranes, while L14, together with L15, might help peptide insert and anchor to cell membranes. These results are significant to elucidate the crucial roles of such Ile/Leu residues at "a" and "d" positions in peptide-peptide and peptide-membrane interactions to exert the membrane disruption activity of lytic peptides. With further understanding about the structure-activity relationship of lytic peptides, it would be helpful for designing novel anticancer lytic peptides.
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19
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Modulation of anti-endotoxin property of Temporin L by minor amino acid substitution in identified phenylalanine zipper sequence. Biochem J 2016; 473:4045-4062. [PMID: 27609815 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20160713] [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: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
A 13-residue frog antimicrobial peptide Temporin L (TempL) possesses versatile antimicrobial activities and is considered a lead molecule for the development of new antimicrobial agents. To find out the amino acid sequences that influence the anti-microbial property of TempL, a phenylalanine zipper-like sequence was identified in it which was not reported earlier. Several alanine-substituted analogs and a scrambled peptide having the same composition of TempL were designed for evaluating the role of this motif. To investigate whether leucine residues instead of phenylalanine residues at 'a' and/or 'd' position(s) of the heptad repeat sequence could alter its antimicrobial property, several TempL analogs were synthesized after replacing these phenylalanine residues with leucine residues. Replacing phenylalanine residues with alanine residues in the phenylalanine zipper sequence significantly compromised the anti-endotoxin property of TempL. This is evident from the higher production of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated rat bone-marrow-derived macrophage cells in the presence of its alanine-substituted analogs than TempL itself. However, replacement of these phenylalanine residues with leucine residues significantly augmented anti-endotoxin property of TempL. A single alanine-substituted TempL analog (F8A-TempL) showed significantly reduced cytotoxicity but retained the antibacterial activity of TempL, while the two single leucine-substituted analogs (F5L-TempL and F8L-TempL), although exhibiting lower cytotoxicity, were able to retain the antibacterial activity of the parent peptide. The results demonstrate how minor amino acid substitutions in the identified phenylalanine zipper sequence in TempL could yield analogs with better antibacterial and/or anti-endotoxin properties with their plausible mechanism of action.
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20
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Zhou XR, Zhang Q, Tian XB, Cao YM, Liu ZQ, Fan R, Ding XF, Zhu Z, Chen L, Luo SZ. From a pro-apoptotic peptide to a lytic peptide: One single residue mutation. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:1914-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Revised: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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21
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Kim H, Jang JH, Kim SC, Cho JH. Enhancement of the antimicrobial activity and selectivity of GNU7 against Gram-negative bacteria by fusion with LPS-targeting peptide. Peptides 2016; 82:60-66. [PMID: 27242337 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2016.05.010] [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: 01/27/2016] [Revised: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) provide a potential source of new antimicrobial therapeutics for the treatment of multidrug-resistant pathogens. To develop Gram-negative selective AMPs that can inhibit the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis, we added various rationally designed LPS-targeting peptides [amino acids 28-34 of lactoferrin (Lf28-34), amino acids 84-99 of bactericidal/permeability increasing protein (BPI84-99), and de novo peptide (Syn)] to the potent AMP, GNU7 (RLLRPLLQLLKQKLR). Compared to our original starting peptide GNU7, hybrid peptides had an 8- to 32-fold improvement in antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. Among them, Syn-GNU7 showed the strongest LPS-binding and -neutralizing activities, thus allowing it to selectively eliminate Gram-negative bacteria from within mixed cultures. Our results suggest that LPS-targeting peptides would be useful to increase the antimicrobial activity and selectivity of other AMPs against Gram-negative bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Kim
- Division of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, South Korea
| | - Ju Hye Jang
- Research Institute of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, South Korea
| | - Sun Chang Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, South Korea
| | - Ju Hyun Cho
- Division of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, South Korea; Research Institute of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, South Korea.
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22
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Sala M, Spensiero A, Esposito F, Scala MC, Vernieri E, Bertamino A, Manfra M, Carotenuto A, Grieco P, Novellino E, Cadeddu M, Tramontano E, Schols D, Campiglia P, Gomez-Monterrey IM. Development and Identification of a Novel Anti-HIV-1 Peptide Derived by Modification of the N-Terminal Domain of HIV-1 Integrase. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:845. [PMID: 27375570 PMCID: PMC4901077 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00845] [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: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 05/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The viral enzyme integrase (IN) is essential for the replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and represents an important target for the development of new antiretroviral drugs. In this study, we focused on the N-terminal domain (NTD), which is mainly involved into protein oligomerization process, for the development and synthesis of a library of overlapping peptide sequences, with specific length and specific offset covering the entire native protein sequence NTD IN 1–50. The most potent fragment, VVAKEIVAH (peptide 18), which includes a His residue instead of the natural Ser at position 39, inhibits the HIV-1 IN activity with an IC50 value of 4.5 μM. Amino acid substitution analysis on this peptide revealed essential residues for activity and allowed us to identify two nonapeptides (peptides 24 and 25), that show a potency of inhibition similar to the one of peptide 18. Interestingly, peptide 18 does not interfere with the dynamic interplay between IN subunits, while peptides 24 and 25 modulated these interactions in different manners. In fact, peptide 24 inhibited the IN-IN dimerization, while peptide 25 promoted IN multimerization, with IC50 values of 32 and 4.8 μM, respectively. In addition, peptide 25 has shown to have selective anti-infective cell activity for HIV-1. These results confirmed peptide 25 as a hit for further development of new chemotherapeutic agents against HIV-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Sala
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno Salerno, Italy
| | | | - Francesca Esposito
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, University of Cagliari Cagliari, Italy
| | - Maria C Scala
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno Salerno, Italy
| | | | | | - Michele Manfra
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata Potenza, Italy
| | - Alfonso Carotenuto
- Department of Pharmacy, Medicicnal Chemistry and Toxicologic, University of Naples Federico II Napoli, Italy
| | - Paolo Grieco
- Department of Pharmacy, Medicicnal Chemistry and Toxicologic, University of Naples Federico II Napoli, Italy
| | - Ettore Novellino
- Department of Pharmacy, Medicicnal Chemistry and Toxicologic, University of Naples Federico II Napoli, Italy
| | - Marta Cadeddu
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, University of Cagliari Cagliari, Italy
| | - Enzo Tramontano
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, University of CagliariCagliari, Italy; Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research, National Research Council, Citadella di MonserratoCagliari, Italy
| | - Dominique Schols
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Isabel M Gomez-Monterrey
- Department of Pharmacy, Medicicnal Chemistry and Toxicologic, University of Naples Federico II Napoli, Italy
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Single Amino Acid Substitutions at Specific Positions of the Heptad Repeat Sequence of Piscidin-1 Yielded Novel Analogs That Show Low Cytotoxicity and In Vitro and In Vivo Antiendotoxin Activity. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2016; 60:3687-99. [PMID: 27067326 DOI: 10.1128/aac.02341-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Piscidin-1 possesses significant antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities. To recognize the primary amino acid sequence(s) in piscidin-1 that could be important for its biological activity, a long heptad repeat sequence located in the region from amino acids 2 to 19 was identified. To comprehend the possible role of this motif, six analogs of piscidin-1 were designed by selectively replacing a single isoleucine residue at a d (5th) position or at an a (9th or 16th) position with either an alanine or a valine residue. Two more analogs, namely, I5F,F6A-piscidin-1 and V12I-piscidin-1, were designed for investigating the effect of interchanging an alanine residue at a d position with an adjacent phenylalanine residue and replacing a valine residue with an isoleucine residue at another d position of the heptad repeat of piscidin-1, respectively. Single alanine-substituted analogs exhibited significantly reduced cytotoxicity against mammalian cells compared with that of piscidin-1 but appreciably retained the antibacterial and antiendotoxin activities of piscidin-1. All the single valine-substituted piscidin-1 analogs and I5F,F6A-piscidin-1 showed cytotoxicity greater than that of the corresponding alanine-substituted analogs, antibacterial activity marginally greater than or similar to that of the corresponding alanine-substituted analogs, and also antiendotoxin activity superior to that of the corresponding alanine-substituted analogs. Interestingly, among these peptides, V12I-piscidin-1 showed the highest cytotoxicity and antibacterial and antiendotoxin activities. Lipopolysaccharide (12 mg/kg of body weight)-treated mice, further treated with I16A-piscidin-1, the piscidin-1 analog with the highest therapeutic index, at a single dose of 1 or 2 mg/kg of body weight, showed 80 and 100% survival, respectively. Structural and functional characterization of these peptides revealed the basis of their biological activity and demonstrated that nontoxic piscidin-1 analogs with significant antimicrobial and antiendotoxin activities can be designed by incorporating single alanine substitutions in the piscidin-1 heptad repeat.
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24
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Arancibia M, López-Caballero M, Gómez-Guillén M, Montero P. Chitosan coatings enriched with active shrimp waste for shrimp preservation. Food Control 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2015.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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25
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Tripathi JK, Pal S, Awasthi B, Kumar A, Tandon A, Mitra K, Chattopadhyay N, Ghosh JK. Variants of self-assembling peptide, KLD-12 that show both rapid fracture healing and antimicrobial properties. Biomaterials 2015; 56:92-103. [PMID: 25934283 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2015.03.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2014] [Revised: 03/26/2015] [Accepted: 03/27/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
KLD-12 (KLD) is a 12-residue self-assembling peptide that can adopt nano-structures and is known for its tissue-engineering properties. Our objective was to introduce antimicrobial attribute to KLD which would help in preventing secondary infection associated with external application of such tissue engineering materials. Considering the net charge of KLD-12, varying number of cationic arginine residues were added to its N-terminus. KLD variants showed appreciable bactericidal properties without any significant increase in cytotoxicity against tested mammalian cells. Further, these variants adopted β-sheet structures and self-assembled into nano-structures comparable to that of KLD. Interestingly, the KLD variants with two (KLD-2R) and three (KLD-3R) arginine residues added to its N-terminus showed significant osteogenic effect which was comparable or better than the original peptide as evident from the alkaline phosphatase activity assay, mineralized nodule formation and expression of different osteogenic genes. Particularly, application of KLD-2R in rats to the site of a drill-hole (0.8 mm diameter) that was created in the femur metaphysis displayed significantly higher bone regeneration compared to that of KLD. The results demonstrate a simple way to improve biological property of a self-assembling peptide with tissue engineering property.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jitendra K Tripathi
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Subhashis Pal
- Endocrinology Division and Center for Research in Anabolic Skeletal Targets in Health and Illness (ASTHI), CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Bhanupriya Awasthi
- Electron Microscopy Unit, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Amit Kumar
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Anshika Tandon
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Kalyan Mitra
- Electron Microscopy Unit, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Naibedya Chattopadhyay
- Endocrinology Division and Center for Research in Anabolic Skeletal Targets in Health and Illness (ASTHI), CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India.
| | - Jimut Kanti Ghosh
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India.
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An unprecedented alteration in mode of action of IsCT resulting its translocation into bacterial cytoplasm and inhibition of macromolecular syntheses. Sci Rep 2015; 5:9127. [PMID: 25773522 PMCID: PMC4360471 DOI: 10.1038/srep09127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2014] [Accepted: 01/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
IsCT, a 13-residue, non-cell-selective antimicrobial peptide is comprised of mostly hydrophobic residues and lesser cationic residues. Assuming that placement of an additional positive charge in the non-polar face of IsCT could reduce its hydrophobic interaction, resulting in its reduction of cytotoxicity, an analog, I9K-IsCT was designed. Two more analogs, namely, E7K-IsCT and E7K,I9K-IsCT, were designed to investigate the impact of positive charges in the polar face as well as polar and non-polar faces at a time. These amino acid substitutions resulted in a significant enhancement of therapeutic potential of IsCT. IsCT and E7K-IsCT seem to target bacterial membrane for their anti-bacterial activity. However, I9K-IsCT and E7K,I9K-IsCT inhibited nucleic acid and protein syntheses in tested E. coli without perturbing its membrane. This was further supported by the observation that NBD-IsCT localized onto bacterial membrane while NBD-labeled I9K-IsCT and E7K,I9K-IsCT translocated into bacterial cytoplasm. Interestingly, IsCT and E7K-IsCT were significantly helical while I9K-IsCT and E7K,I9K-IsCT were mostly unstructured with no helix content in presence of mammalian and bacterial membrane-mimetic lipid vesicles. Altogether, the results identify two novel cell-selective analogs of IsCT with new prototype amino acid sequences that can translocate into bacterial cytoplasm without any helical structure and inhibit macromolecular syntheses.
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27
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Design and characterization of short antimicrobial peptides using leucine zipper templates with selectivity towards microorganisms. Amino Acids 2014; 46:2531-43. [DOI: 10.1007/s00726-014-1802-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2014] [Accepted: 06/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Kullar R, McKinnell JA, Sakoulas G. Avoiding the perfect storm: the biologic and clinical case for reevaluating the 7-day expectation for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia before switching therapy. Clin Infect Dis 2014; 59:1455-61. [PMID: 25048852 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciu583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Persistent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia (MRSAB) is associated with poor outcomes and serious complications. The MRSA guidelines define treatment failure and persistent bacteremia as lasting ≥7 days; however, this definition requires reevaluation. Aggressively reducing the bacterial inoculum promptly is critical because factors already in place before clinical presentation are driving resistance to the few antibiotics that are available to treat MRSAB. Alternative approaches to treat MRSAB should be considered within 3-4 days of persistent MRSAB. With rapid molecular diagnostics emerging in clinical microbiology laboratories and biomarkers as a potential for early patient risk stratification, a future shorter threshold may become possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravina Kullar
- Department of Medical Affairs, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Lexington, Massachusetts
| | - James A McKinnell
- Infectious Disease Clinical Outcomes Unit (ID-CORE), Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Department of Medicine, Torrance Memorial Medical Center
| | - George Sakoulas
- Division of Pediatric Pharmacology and Drug Discovery, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla
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Arancibia MY, Alemán A, Calvo MM, López-Caballero ME, Montero P, Gómez-Guillén MC. Antimicrobial and antioxidant chitosan solutions enriched with active shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) waste materials. Food Hydrocoll 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2013.08.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Saravanan R, Joshi M, Mohanram H, Bhunia A, Mangoni ML, Bhattacharjya S. NMR structure of temporin-1 ta in lipopolysaccharide micelles: mechanistic insight into inactivation by outer membrane. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72718. [PMID: 24039798 PMCID: PMC3767682 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2013] [Accepted: 07/12/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) play important roles in the innate defense mechanism. The broad spectrum of activity of AMPs requires an efficient permeabilization of the bacterial outer and inner membranes. The outer leaflet of the outer membrane of Gram negative bacteria is made of a specialized lipid called lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The LPS layer is an efficient permeability barrier against anti-bacterial agents including AMPs. As a mode of protection, LPS can induce self associations of AMPs rendering them inactive. Temporins are a group of short-sized AMPs isolated from frog skin, and many of them are inactive against Gram negative bacteria as a result of their self-association in the LPS-outer membrane. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Using NMR spectroscopy, we have determined atomic resolution structure and characterized localization of temporin-1Ta or TA (FLPLIGRVLSGIL-amide) in LPS micelles. In LPS micelles, TA adopts helical conformation for residues L4-I12, while residues F1-L3 are found to be in extended conformations. The aromatic sidechain of residue F1 is involved in extensive packing interactions with the sidechains of residues P3, L4 and I5. Interestingly, a number of long-range NOE contacts have been detected between the N-terminal residues F1, P3 with the C-terminal residues S10, I12, L13 of TA in LPS micelles. Saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR studies demonstrate close proximity of residues including F1, L2, P3, R7, S10 and L13 with the LPS micelles. Notably, the LPS bound structure of TA shows differences with the structures of TA determined in DPC and SDS detergent micelles. SIGNIFICANCE We propose that TA, in LPS lipids, forms helical oligomeric structures employing N- and C-termini residues. Such oligomeric structures may not be translocated across the outer membrane; resulting in the inactivation of the AMP. Importantly, the results of our studies will be useful for the development of antimicrobial agents with a broader spectrum of activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rathi Saravanan
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mangesh Joshi
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Harini Mohanram
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Anirban Bhunia
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Maria Luisa Mangoni
- Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche Università La Sapienza, Roma, Italy
| | - Surajit Bhattacharjya
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- * E-mail:
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