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Kobpornchai P, Imwong M, Kulkeaw K. Trio fluorophore-based phenotypic assay for the detection of artemisinin-induced growth-arrested Plasmodium falciparum in human erythrocytes. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1802. [PMID: 38245618 PMCID: PMC10799909 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52414-8] [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: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Artemisinin combination therapy remains effective for the treatment of falciparum malaria. However, Plasmodium falciparum can escape the effects of artemisinin by arresting their growth. The growth-arrested parasites cannot be distinguished from nonviable parasites with standard microscopy techniques due to their morphological similarities. Here, we demonstrated the efficacy of a new laboratory assay that is compatible with the artemisinin susceptibility test. As a result of the differential cell permeabilities of two DNA-binding fluorophores, growth-arrested P. falciparum can be distinguished from parasites killed by artemisinin, since the latter lose cell membrane permeability. This fluorescence-based assay increased the sensitivity and specificity of the ring survival assay in the assessment of artemisinin susceptibility. When combined with a third fluorophore-conjugated anti-human leukocyte antibody, this trio fluorophore assay became more useful in identifying growth-arrested parasites in mock human blood samples. This novel assay is a simple and rapid technique for monitoring artemisinin resistance with greater sensitivity and accuracy compared with morphology-based observations under a light microscope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Porntida Kobpornchai
- Siriraj Integrative Center for Neglected Parasitic Diseases, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand
- Siriraj-Long Read Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand
| | - Mallika Imwong
- Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand
| | - Kasem Kulkeaw
- Siriraj Integrative Center for Neglected Parasitic Diseases, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand.
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2
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Biondi B, de Pascale L, Mardirossian M, Di Stasi A, Favaro M, Scocchi M, Peggion C. Structural and biological characterization of shortened derivatives of the cathelicidin PMAP-36. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15132. [PMID: 37704689 PMCID: PMC10499915 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41945-1] [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: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cathelicidins, a family of host defence peptides in vertebrates, play an important role in the innate immune response, exhibiting antimicrobial activity against many bacteria, as well as viruses and fungi. This work describes the design and synthesis of shortened analogues of porcine cathelicidin PMAP-36, which contain structural changes to improve the pharmacokinetic properties. In particular, 20-mers based on PMAP-36 (residues 12-31) and 13-mers (residues 12-24) with modification of amino acid residues at critical positions and introduction of lipid moieties of different lengths were studied to identify the physical parameters, including hydrophobicity, charge, and helical structure, required to optimise their antibacterial activity. Extensive conformational analysis, performed by CD and NMR, revealed that the substitution of Pro25-Pro26 with Ala25-Lys26 increased the α-helix content of the 20-mer peptides, resulting in broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis strains. Interestingly, shortening to just 13 residues resulted in only a slight decrease in antibacterial activity. Furthermore, two sequences, a 13-mer and a 20-mer, did not show cytotoxicity against HaCat cells up to 64 µM, indicating that both derivatives are not only effective but also selective antimicrobial peptides. In the short peptide, the introduction of the helicogenic α-aminoisobutyric acid forced the helix toward a prevailing 310 structure, allowing the antimicrobial activity to be maintained. Preliminary tests of resistance to Ser protease chymotrypsin indicated that this modification resulted in a peptide with an increased in vivo lifespan. Thus, some of the PMAP-36 derivatives studied in this work show a good balance between chain length, antibacterial activity, and selectivity, so they represent a good starting point for the development of even more effective and proteolysis-resistant active peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Biondi
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, CNR, Padova Unit, Padova, Italy
| | - Luigi de Pascale
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Adriana Di Stasi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Matteo Favaro
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Scocchi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
| | - Cristina Peggion
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, CNR, Padova Unit, Padova, Italy.
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
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3
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Zhang LM, Yang M, Zhou SW, Zhang H, Feng Y, Shi L, Li DS, Lu QM, Zhang ZH, Zhao M. Blapstin, a Diapause-Specific Peptide-Like Peptide from the Chinese Medicinal Beetle Blaps rhynchopetera, Has Antifungal Function. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0308922. [PMID: 37140456 PMCID: PMC10269622 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03089-22] [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: 08/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug resistance against bacteria and fungi has become common in recent years, and it is urgent to discover novel antimicrobial peptides to manage this problem. Many antimicrobial peptides from insects have been reported to have antifungal activity and are candidate molecules in the treatment of human diseases. In the present study, we characterized an antifungal peptide named blapstin that was isolated from the Chinese medicinal beetle Blaps rhynchopetera used in folk medicine. The complete coding sequence was cloned from the cDNA library prepared from the midgut of B. rhynchopetera. It is a 41-amino-acid diapause-specific peptide (DSP)-like peptide stabilized by three disulfide bridges and shows antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Trichophyton rubrum with MICs of 7 μM and 5.3 μM, respectively. The C. albicans and T. rubrum treated with blapstin showed irregular and shrunken cell membranes. In addition, blapstin inhibited the activity of C. albicans biofilm and showed little hemolytic or toxic activity on human cells and it is highly expressed in the fat body, followed by the hemolymph, midgut, muscle, and defensive glands. These results indicate that blapstin may help insects fight against fungi and showed a potential application in the development of antifungal reagents. IMPORTANCE Candida albicans is one of the conditional pathogenic fungi causing severe nosocomial infections. Trichophyton rubrum and other skin fungi are the main pathogens of superficial cutaneous fungal diseases, especially in children and the elderly. At present, antibiotics such as amphotericin B, ketoconazole, and fluconazole are the main drugs for the clinical treatment of C. albicans and T. rubrum infections. However, these drugs have certain acute toxicity. Long-term use can increase kidney damage and other side effects. Therefore, obtaining broad-spectrum antifungal drugs with high efficiency and low toxicity for the treatment of C. albicans and T. rubrum infections is a top priority. Blapstin is an antifungal peptide which shows activity against C. albicans and T. rubrum. The discovery of blapstin provides a novel clue for our understanding of the innate immunity of Blaps rhynchopetera and provides a template for designing antifungal drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- La-Mei Zhang
- Institute of Highland Forest Science, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Kunming, China
- College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Key Laboratory of Breeding and Utilization of Resource Insects, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Kunming, China
| | - Min Yang
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Sheng-Wen Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Feng
- Institute of Highland Forest Science, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Kunming, China
- Key Laboratory of Breeding and Utilization of Resource Insects, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Kunming, China
| | - Lei Shi
- Institute of Highland Forest Science, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Kunming, China
- Key Laboratory of Breeding and Utilization of Resource Insects, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Kunming, China
| | - Dong-Sheng Li
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- Sino-African Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Science, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Qiu-Min Lu
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- Sino-African Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Science, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zhong-He Zhang
- Institute of Highland Forest Science, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Kunming, China
- Key Laboratory of Breeding and Utilization of Resource Insects, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Kunming, China
| | - Min Zhao
- Institute of Highland Forest Science, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Kunming, China
- Key Laboratory of Breeding and Utilization of Resource Insects, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Kunming, China
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Antitumor Activity and Mechanism of Action of the Antimicrobial Peptide AMP-17 on Human Leukemia K562 Cells. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27228109. [PMID: 36432210 PMCID: PMC9697079 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27228109] [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: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is one of the most common malignant diseases in the world. Hence, there is an urgent need to search for novel drugs with antitumor activity against cancer cells. AMP-17, a natural antimicrobial peptide derived from Musca domestica, has antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, and fungi. However, its antitumor activity and potential mechanism of action in cancer cells remain unclear. In this study, we focused on evaluating the in vitro antitumor activity and mechanism of AMP-17 on leukemic K562 cells. The results showed that AMP-17 exhibited anti-proliferative activity on K562 cells with an IC50 value of 58.91 ± 3.57 μg/mL. The membrane integrity of K562 was disrupted and membrane permeability was increased after AMP-17 action. Further observation using SEM and TEM images showed that the cell structure of AMP-17-treated cells was disrupted, with depressions and pore-like breaks on the cell surface, and vacuolated vesicles in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, further mechanistic studies indicated that AMP-17 induced excessive production of reactive oxygen species and calcium ions release in K562 cells, which led to disturbance of mitochondrial membrane potential and blocked ATP synthesis, followed by activation of Caspase-3 to induce apoptosis. In conclusion, these results suggest that the antitumor activity of AMP-17 may be achieved by disrupting cell structure and inducing apoptosis. Therefore, AMP-17 is expected to be a novel potential agent candidate for leukemia treatment.
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The Antimicrobial Peptide AMP-17 Derived from Musca domestica Inhibits Biofilm Formation and Eradicates Mature Biofilm in Candida albicans. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11111474. [PMID: 36358129 PMCID: PMC9686669 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11111474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The biofilm formation of C. albicans represents a major virulence factor during candidiasis. Biofilm-mediated drug resistance has necessitated the search for a new antifungal treatment strategy. In our previous study, a novel antimicrobial peptide named AMP-17 derived from Musca domestica was confirmed to have significant antifungal activity and suppress hyphal growth greatly in C. albicans. In the current work, we aimed to investigate the antibiofilm property of AMP-17 in C. albicans and explore the underlying mechanism. An antifungal susceptibility assay showed that AMP-17 exerted a strong inhibitory efficacy on both biofilm formation and preformed biofilms in C. albicans. Furthermore, AMP-17 was found to block the yeast-to-hypha transition and inhibit the adhesion of biofilm cells with a reduction in cellular surface hydrophobicity. A morphological analysis revealed that AMP-17 indeed suppressed typical biofilm formation and damaged the structures of the preformed biofilm. The RNA-seq showed that the MAPK pathway, biosynthesis of antibiotics, and essential components of the cell were mainly enriched in the biofilm-forming stage, while the citrate cycle (TCA cycle), phenylamine metabolism, and propanoate metabolism were enriched after the biofilm matured. Moreover, the co-expressed DEGs in the two pairwise comparisons highlighted the terms of transmembrane transporter activity, regulation of filamentation, and biofilm formation as important roles in the antibiofilm effect of AMP-17. Additionally, qRT-PCR confirmed that the level of the genes involved in cell adhesion, filamentous growth, MAPK, biofilm matrix, and cell dispersal was correspondingly altered after AMP-17 treatment. Overall, our findings reveal the underlying antibiofilm mechanisms of AMPs in C. albicans, providing an interesting perspective for the development of effective antifungal agents with antibiofilm efficacy in Candida spp.
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Yang LB, Guo G, Tian ZQ, Zhou LX, Zhu LJ, Peng J, Sun CQ, Huang MJ. TMT-based quantitative proteomic analysis of the effects of novel antimicrobial peptide AMP-17 against Candida albicans. J Proteomics 2022; 250:104385. [PMID: 34606990 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2021.104385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Candida albicans is the most common human fungal pathogen in immunocompromised individuals. With the emergence of clinical fungal resistance, there is an urgent need to develop novel antifungal agents. AMP-17, a novel antimicrobial peptide from Musca domestica, has an antifungal effect against C. albicans, but its mechanism of antifungal action remains unclear. In the current study, we performed a proteomics analysis in C. albicans using TMT technique under the treatment of AMP-17. A total of 3931 proteins were identified, of which 3600 included quantitative information. With a 1.5-fold change threshold and a t-test p-value < 0.05 as standard, 423 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were up-regulated and 180 DEPs were down-regulated in the AMP-17/control. Notably, GO enrichment revealed that DEPs associated with the cell wall, RNA and oxidative stress were significantly up-regulated, while DEPs involved in ergosterol metabolism and membrane were significantly down-regulated in the AMP-17/control. KEGG pathway enrichment revealed that DEPs involved seven significant metabolic pathways, mainly involved oxidative phosphorylation, RNA degradation, propanoate metabolism and fatty acid metabolism. These results show that AMP-17 induces a complex organism response in C. albicans, indicating that AMP-17 may inhibit growth by affecting multiple targets in C. albicans cells. SIGNIFICANCE: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an important part of the innate immune system of organisms and having broad range of activity against fungi, bacteria and viruses. These AMPs are considered as probable candidate for forthcoming drugs, due to their broad range of activity, lesser toxicity and decreased resistance development by target cells. AMP-17, a novel antimicrobial peptide from M. domestica, has significant antifungal activity against C. albicans. It has been confirmed that AMP-17 can play an antifungal effect by destroying the cell wall and cell membrane of C. albicans in previous studies, but its mechanism of action at the protein level is currently unclear. In the current study, using the TMT-based quantitative proteomics method, 603 differentially expressed proteins were identified in the cells of C. albicans treated with AMP-17 for 12 h, and these DEPs were closely related to cell wall, cell membrane, RNA degradation and oxidative stress. The results provide new insights into the potential mechanism of action of AMP- 17 against C. albicans. Meanwhile, it provides certain technical support and theoretical basis for the research and development of novel peptide drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long-Bing Yang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Guo Guo
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China.
| | - Zhu-Qing Tian
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Luo-Xiong Zhou
- School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Li-Juan Zhu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Jian Peng
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Medical Engineering, Department of Biotechnology, School of Biology & Engineering, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Chao-Qin Sun
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Ming-Jiao Huang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
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7
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Yang L, Tian Z, Zhou L, Zhu L, Sun C, Huang M, Peng J, Guo G. In vitro Antifungal Activity of a Novel Antimicrobial Peptide AMP-17 Against Planktonic Cells and Biofilms of Cryptococcus neoformans. Infect Drug Resist 2022; 15:233-248. [PMID: 35115792 PMCID: PMC8800587 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s344246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cryptococcus neoformans is a common human fungal pathogen in immunocompromised people, as well as a prevalent cause of meningitis in HIV-infected individuals. With the emergence of clinical fungal resistance and the shortage of antifungal drugs, it is urgent to discover novel antifungal agents. AMP-17, a novel antimicrobial peptide from Musca domestica, has antifungal activity against C. neoformans. However, its antifungal and anti-biofilm activities remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the antifungal activity of AMP-17 against planktonic cells and biofilms of C. neoformans. Methods The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), the biofilm inhibitory and eradicating concentration (BIC and BEC) were determined by the broth microdilution assay or the 2, 3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) reduction assay, respectively. The inhibitory and killing activities of AMP-17 against C. neoformans were investigated through the time-inhibition/killing kinetic curves. The potential antifungal mechanism of AMP-17 was detected by flow cytometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The efficiency of AMP-17 against biofilm formation or preformed biofilm was evaluated by crystal violet staining and XTT reduction assays. The morphology of pre-biofilms was tested by optical microscopy (OM) and CLSM. Results AMP-17 exhibited in vitro antifungal activity against C. neoformans planktonic cells and biofilms, with MICs of 4~16 μg/ml, BIC80 and BEC80 of 16~32 μg/ml, 64~128 μg/ml, respectively. In addition, the 2× and 4× MIC of AMP-17 exhibited similar inhibition levels compared to the 2× and 4× MIC of the clinical drugs FLC and AMB in C. neoformans growth. Moreover, the time-kill results showed that AMP-17 (8× MIC) did not significantly eliminate colony forming units (CFU) after 6 h of treatment; however, there was 2.9-log reduction in CFU of C. neoformans. Furthermore, increasing of the permeability of the fungal cell membrane was observed with the treatment of AMP-17, since the vast change as fungal leakage and cell membrane disruption. However, the DNA binding assay of AMP-17 indicated that the peptide did not target DNA. Besides, AMP-17 was superior in inhibiting and eradicating biofilms of C. neoformans compared with FLC. Conclusion AMP-17 exhibited potential in vitro antifungal activity against the planktonic cells and biofilms of C. neoformans, and it may disrupt fungal cell membranes through multi-target interactions, which provides a promising therapeutic strategy and experimental basis for Cryptococcus-associated infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longbing Yang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhuqing Tian
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China
| | - Luoxiong Zhou
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China
- School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lijuan Zhu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chaoqin Sun
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China
| | - Mingjiao Huang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jian Peng
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China
| | - Guo Guo
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China
- Translational Medicine Research Center, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China
- Correspondence: Guo Guo, Building Wuben, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical University, College Town, Gui’an New District, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China, Tel/fax +86 851 882 59268, Email
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8
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Zhang J, Yang L, Tian Z, Zhao W, Sun C, Zhu L, Huang M, Guo G, Liang G. Large-Scale Screening of Antifungal Peptides Based on Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship. ACS Med Chem Lett 2021; 13:99-104. [PMID: 35059128 PMCID: PMC8762751 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.1c00556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Antifungal peptides are effective, biocompatible, and biodegradable, and thus, they are promising to be the next generation of drugs for treating infections caused by fungi. The identification processes of highly active peptides, however, are still time-consuming and labor-intensive. Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) have dramatically facilitated the discovery of many bioactive drug molecules without a priori knowledge. In this study, we have established an effective QSAR protocol for screening antifungal peptides. The screening protocol integrates an accurate antifungal peptide classification model and four activity prediction models against specified target fungi. A demonstrative application was performed on more than three million candidate peptides, and three outstanding peptides were identified. The whole screening took only a few days, which was much faster than our previous experimental screening works. In conclusion, the protocol is useful and effective for reducing repetitive laboratory efforts in antifungal peptide discovery. The prediction server (antifungal Web server) is freely available at www.chemoinfolab.com/antifungal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Zhang
- School
of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Longbing Yang
- School
of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical
University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Zhuqing Tian
- School
of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical
University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Wenjing Zhao
- School
of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical
University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Chaoqin Sun
- School
of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical
University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Lijuan Zhu
- School
of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical
University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Mingjiao Huang
- School
of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical
University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Guo Guo
- School
of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical
University, Guiyang 550025, China,The
Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen Biology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China,Translational
Medicine Research Center, Guizhou Medical
University, Guiyang 550025, China,Guo
Guo: School of Basic Medical
Sciences, The Key and Characteristic Laboratory of Modern Pathogen
Biology, Translational Medicine Research Center, Guizhou Medical University,
Guiyang 550025, China.
| | - Guiyou Liang
- Translational
Medicine Research Center, Guizhou Medical
University, Guiyang 550025, China,Guiyou Liang
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9
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Nie T, Meng F, Zhou L, Lu F, Bie X, Lu Z, Lu Y. In Silico Development of Novel Chimeric Lysins with Highly Specific Inhibition against Salmonella by Computer-Aided Design. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2021; 69:3751-3760. [PMID: 33565867 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.0c07450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Four novel chimeric lysins (P361, P362, P371, and P372), which were the fusion of Salmonella phage lysins and novel antimicrobial peptide LeuA-P, were obtained using bioinformatics analysis and in silico design. The recombinant chimeric lysins were expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) strain and showed highly specific inhibition against Salmonella. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of P362 and P372 to S. typhi CMCC 50071 were 8 and 16 μg/mL, respectively. Both 1 × MIC P362 and P372 could increase the outer membrane permeability and cleave the cell wall peptidoglycan, causing the leakage of intracellular nucleic acids and proteins and ultimately killing Salmonella efficiently without drug resistance. The combination of P362, P372, and potassium sorbate reduced more than 3 log CFU/g counts of microorganisms in contaminated chilled chicken and extended the shelf life by 7 days. The strategy of antimicrobial peptide (AMP)-lysin chimera inspired the inability of phage lysin to specifically inhibit Gram-negative bacteria with dense outer membranes in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Nie
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 210095, China
| | - Fanqiang Meng
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 210095, China
| | - Libang Zhou
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 210095, China
| | - Fengxia Lu
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 210095, China
| | - Xiaomei Bie
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 210095, China
| | - Zhaoxin Lu
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 210095, China
| | - Yingjian Lu
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 210023, China
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