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Mitra S, Chandersekhar B, Li Y, Coopershlyak M, Mahoney ME, Evans B, Koenig R, Hall SCL, Klösgen B, Heinrich F, Deslouches B, Tristram-Nagle S. Novel non-helical antimicrobial peptides insert into and fuse lipid model membranes. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:4088-4101. [PMID: 38712559 PMCID: PMC11109824 DOI: 10.1039/d4sm00220b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
This research addresses the growing menace of antibiotic resistance by exploring antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Specifically, we investigate two linear amphipathic AMPs, LE-53 (12-mer) and LE-55 (16-mer), finding that the shorter LE-53 exhibits greater bactericidal activity against both Gram-negative (G(-)) and Gram-positive (G(+)) bacteria. Remarkably, both AMPs are non-toxic to eukaryotic cells. The heightened effectiveness of LE-53 is attributed to its increased hydrophobicity (H) compared to LE-55. Circular dichroism (CD) reveals that LE-53 and LE-55 both adopt β-sheet and random coil structures in lipid model membranes (LMMs) mimicking G(-) and G(+) bacteria, so secondary structure is not the cause of the potency difference. X-ray diffuse scattering (XDS) reveals increased lipid chain order in LE-53, a potential key distinction. Additionally, XDS study uncovers a significant link between LE-53's upper hydrocarbon location in G(-) and G(+) LMMs and its efficacy. Neutron reflectometry (NR) confirms the AMP locations determined using XDS. Solution small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) demonstrates LE-53's ability to induce vesicle fusion in bacterial LMMs without affecting eukaryotic LMMs, offering a promising strategy to combat antibiotic-resistant strains while preserving human cell integrity, whereas LE-55 has a smaller ability to induce fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saheli Mitra
- Biological Physics Group, Physics Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Bhairavi Chandersekhar
- Biological Physics Group, Physics Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Yunshu Li
- Biological Physics Group, Physics Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Mark Coopershlyak
- Biological Physics Group, Physics Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Margot E Mahoney
- Biological Physics Group, Physics Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Brandt Evans
- Biological Physics Group, Physics Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Rachel Koenig
- Biological Physics Group, Physics Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Stephen C L Hall
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Beate Klösgen
- University of Southern Denmark, Dept. Physics, Chemistry & Pharmacy, PhyLife, Campusvej 55, Odense M5230, Denmark
| | - Frank Heinrich
- Biological Physics Group, Physics Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
- Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
| | - Berthony Deslouches
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Stephanie Tristram-Nagle
- Biological Physics Group, Physics Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
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Straus SK. Tryptophan- and arginine-rich antimicrobial peptides: Anti-infectives with great potential. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2024; 1866:184260. [PMID: 38113954 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2023.184260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
With the increasing prevalence of multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria, there is a need to design synthetic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are effective and selective for bacteria, i.e. non-toxic to mammalian cells. One design strategy, namely the use of tryptophan- and arginine-rich AMPs, is rooted in the study of natural AMPs that are composed mainly of these amino acids, such as lactoferricin, tritrpticin, and puroindoline. A number of important studies on these AMPs by the Vogel group are reviewed here. More recent work on W-/R-rich peptides is also presented. The examples show that these peptides represent anti-infectives with great potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzana K Straus
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada.
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Feijoo-Coronel ML, Mendes B, Ramírez D, Peña-Varas C, de los Monteros-Silva NQE, Proaño-Bolaños C, de Oliveira LC, Lívio DF, da Silva JA, da Silva JMSF, Pereira MGAG, Rodrigues MQRB, Teixeira MM, Granjeiro PA, Patel K, Vaiyapuri S, Almeida JR. Antibacterial and Antiviral Properties of Chenopodin-Derived Synthetic Peptides. Antibiotics (Basel) 2024; 13:78. [PMID: 38247637 PMCID: PMC10812719 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13010078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides have been developed based on plant-derived molecular scaffolds for the treatment of infectious diseases. Chenopodin is an abundant seed storage protein in quinoa, an Andean plant with high nutritional and therapeutic properties. Here, we used computer- and physicochemical-based strategies and designed four peptides derived from the primary structure of Chenopodin. Two peptides reproduce natural fragments of 14 amino acids from Chenopodin, named Chen1 and Chen2, and two engineered peptides of the same length were designed based on the Chen1 sequence. The two amino acids of Chen1 containing amide side chains were replaced by arginine (ChenR) or tryptophan (ChenW) to generate engineered cationic and hydrophobic peptides. The evaluation of these 14-mer peptides on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli showed that Chen1 does not have antibacterial activity up to 512 µM against these strains, while other peptides exhibited antibacterial effects at lower concentrations. The chemical substitutions of glutamine and asparagine by amino acids with cationic or aromatic side chains significantly favoured their antibacterial effects. These peptides did not show significant hemolytic activity. The fluorescence microscopy analysis highlighted the membranolytic nature of Chenopodin-derived peptides. Using molecular dynamic simulations, we found that a pore is formed when multiple peptides are assembled in the membrane. Whereas, some of them form secondary structures when interacting with the membrane, allowing water translocations during the simulations. Finally, Chen2 and ChenR significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings demonstrate that Chenopodin is a highly useful template for the design, engineering, and manufacturing of non-toxic, antibacterial, and antiviral peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcia L. Feijoo-Coronel
- Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Km 7 Via Muyuna, Tena 150101, Ecuador
| | - Bruno Mendes
- Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Km 7 Via Muyuna, Tena 150101, Ecuador
| | - David Ramírez
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4030000, Chile
| | - Carlos Peña-Varas
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4030000, Chile
| | | | - Carolina Proaño-Bolaños
- Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Km 7 Via Muyuna, Tena 150101, Ecuador
| | - Leonardo Camilo de Oliveira
- Centro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Diego Fernandes Lívio
- Campus Centro Oeste, Federal University of São João Del-Rei, Rua Sebastião Gonçalves Filho, n 400, Chanadour, Divinópolis 35501-296, Brazil
| | - José Antônio da Silva
- Campus Centro Oeste, Federal University of São João Del-Rei, Rua Sebastião Gonçalves Filho, n 400, Chanadour, Divinópolis 35501-296, Brazil
| | - José Maurício S. F. da Silva
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Ciências Biomédicas, Federal University of Alfenas, Rua Gabriel Monteiro da Silva, 700, Sala E209, Alfenas 37130-001, Brazil
| | - Marília Gabriella A. G. Pereira
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Ciências Biomédicas, Federal University of Alfenas, Rua Gabriel Monteiro da Silva, 700, Sala E209, Alfenas 37130-001, Brazil
| | - Marina Q. R. B. Rodrigues
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Ciências Biomédicas, Federal University of Alfenas, Rua Gabriel Monteiro da Silva, 700, Sala E209, Alfenas 37130-001, Brazil
- Departamento de Engenharia de Biossistemas, Campus Dom Bosco, Federal University of São João Del-Rei, Praça Dom Helvécio, 74, Fábricas, São João del-Rei 36301-160, Brazil
| | - Mauro M. Teixeira
- Centro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Paulo Afonso Granjeiro
- Campus Centro Oeste, Federal University of São João Del-Rei, Rua Sebastião Gonçalves Filho, n 400, Chanadour, Divinópolis 35501-296, Brazil
| | - Ketan Patel
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6UB, UK
| | | | - José R. Almeida
- Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Km 7 Via Muyuna, Tena 150101, Ecuador
- School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6UB, UK
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Sanya DRA, Onésime D, Vizzarro G, Jacquier N. Recent advances in therapeutic targets identification and development of treatment strategies towards Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. BMC Microbiol 2023; 23:86. [PMID: 36991325 PMCID: PMC10060139 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-023-02832-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the causal agent of a wide variety of infections. This non-fermentative Gram-negative bacillus can colonize zones where the skin barrier is weakened, such as wounds or burns. It also causes infections of the urinary tract, respiratory system or bloodstream. P. aeruginosa infections are common in hospitalized patients for which multidrug-resistant, respectively extensively drug-resistant isolates can be a strong contributor to a high rate of in-hospital mortality. Moreover, chronic respiratory system infections of cystic fibrosis patients are especially concerning, since very tedious to treat. P. aeruginosa exploits diverse cell-associated and secreted virulence factors, which play essential roles in its pathogenesis. Those factors encompass carbohydrate-binding proteins, quorum sensing that monitor the production of extracellular products, genes conferring extensive drug resistance, and a secretion system to deliver effectors to kill competitors or subvert host essential functions. In this article, we highlight recent advances in the understanding of P. aeruginosa pathogenicity and virulence as well as efforts for the identification of new drug targets and the development of new therapeutic strategies against P. aeruginosa infections. These recent advances provide innovative and promising strategies to circumvent infection caused by this important human pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Djamila Onésime
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Micalis Institute, Jouy-en-Josas, 78350, France
| | - Grazia Vizzarro
- Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, 1011, Switzerland
- Present Address: Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, Station 19, EPFL-SV-UPBLO, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Jacquier
- Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, 1011, Switzerland.
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