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Colicchio R, Nigro E, Colavita I, Pagliuca C, Di Maro S, Tomassi S, Scaglione E, Carbone F, Carriero MV, Matarese G, Daniele A, Cosconati S, Pessi A, Salvatore F, Salvatore P. A novel smaller β-defensin-derived peptide is active against multidrug-resistant bacterial strains. FASEB J 2021; 35:e22026. [PMID: 34818435 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202002330rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is becoming a severe obstacle in the fight against acute and chronic infectious diseases that accompany most degenerative illnesses from neoplasia to osteo-arthritis and obesity. Currently, the race is on to identify pharmaceutical molecules or combinations of molecules able to prevent or reduce the insurgence and/or progression of infectivity. Attempts to substitute antibiotics with antimicrobial peptides have, thus far, met with little success against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains. During the last decade, we designed and studied the activity and features of human β-defensin analogs, which are salt-resistant, and hence active also under high salt concentrations as, for instance, in cystic fibrosis. Herein, we describe the design, synthesis, and major features of a new 21 aa long molecule, peptide γ2. The latter derives from the γ-core of the β-defensin natural molecules, a small fragment of these molecules still bearing high antibacterial activity. We found that peptide γ2, which contains only one disulphide bond, recapitulates most of the biological properties of natural human β-defensins and can also counteract both Gram-positive and Gram-negative MDR bacterial strains and biofilm formation. Moreover, it has great stability in human serum thereby enhancing its antibacterial presence and activity without cytotoxicity in human cells. In conclusion, peptide γ2 is a promising new weapon also in the battle against intractable infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Colicchio
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Ersilia Nigro
- CEINGE, Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c.ar.l., Naples, Italy.,Department of Environmental, Biological, and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, Università degli studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
| | | | - Chiara Pagliuca
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Salvatore Di Maro
- Department of Environmental, Biological, and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, Università degli studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
| | - Stefano Tomassi
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Elena Scaglione
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Fortunata Carbone
- Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), Napoli, Italy.,Unità di Neuroimmunologia, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Roma, Italy
| | - Maria Vincenza Carriero
- Tumor Progression Unit, Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione "G. Pascale" IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Matarese
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), Napoli, Italy
| | - Aurora Daniele
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,CEINGE, Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c.ar.l., Naples, Italy
| | - Sandro Cosconati
- Department of Environmental, Biological, and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, Università degli studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Salvatore
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,CEINGE, Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c.ar.l., Naples, Italy
| | - Paola Salvatore
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,CEINGE, Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c.ar.l., Naples, Italy
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Slezina MP, Istomina EA, Kulakovskaya EV, Abashina TN, Odintsova TI. Synthetic Oligopeptides Mimicking γ-Core Regions of Cysteine-Rich Peptides of Solanum lycopersicum Possess Antimicrobial Activity against Human and Plant Pathogens. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2021; 43:1226-42. [PMID: 34698084 DOI: 10.3390/cimb43030087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs) represent a diverse group of molecules involved in different aspects of plant physiology. Antimicrobial peptides, which directly suppress the growth of pathogens, are regarded as promising templates for the development of next-generation pharmaceuticals and ecologically friendly plant disease control agents. Their oligopeptide fragments are even more promising because of their low production costs. The goal of this work was to explore the antimicrobial activity of nine short peptides derived from the γ-core-containing regions of tomato CRPs against important plant and human pathogens. We discovered antimicrobial activity in peptides derived from the defensin-like peptides, snakins, and MEG, which demonstrates the direct involvement of these CRPs in defense reactions in tomato. The CRP-derived short peptides appeared particularly active against the gram-positive bacterium Clavibacter michiganensis, which causes bacterial wilt—opening up new possibilities for their use in agriculture to control this dangerous disease. Furthermore, high inhibitory potency of short oligopeptides was demonstrated against the yeast Cryptococcus neoformans, which causes serious diseases in humans, making these peptide molecules promising candidates for the development of next-generation pharmaceuticals. Studies of the mode of action of the two most active peptides indicate fungal membrane permeabilization as a mechanism of antimicrobial action.
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Kovaleva V, Bukhteeva I, Kit OY, Nesmelova IV. Plant Defensins from a Structural Perspective. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E5307. [PMID: 32722628 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21155307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant defensins form a family of proteins with a broad spectrum of protective activities against fungi, bacteria, and insects. Furthermore, some plant defensins have revealed anticancer activity. In general, plant defensins are non-toxic to plant and mammalian cells, and interest in using them for biotechnological and medicinal purposes is growing. Recent studies provided significant insights into the mechanisms of action of plant defensins. In this review, we focus on structural and dynamics aspects and discuss structure-dynamics-function relations of plant defensins.
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