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Jiang X, Chen D, Wang X, Wang C, Zheng H, Ye W, Zhou W, Liu G, Zhang K. Nitazoxanide synergizes polymyxin B against Escherichia coli by depleting cellular energy. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0019124. [PMID: 38904380 PMCID: PMC11302062 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00191-24] [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: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The rapid expansion of antibiotic-resistant bacterial diseases is a global burden on public health. It makes sense to repurpose and reposition already-approved medications for use as supplementary agents in synergistic combinations with existing antibiotics. Here, we demonstrate that the anthelmintic drug nitazoxanide (NTZ) synergistically enhances the effectiveness of the lipopeptide antibiotic polymyxin B in inhibiting gram-negative bacteria, including those resistant to polymyxin B. Mechanistic investigations revealed that nitazoxanide inhibited calcium influx and cell membrane depolarization, enhanced the affinity between polymyxin B and the extracellular membrane, and promoted intracellular ATP depletion and an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus enhancing the penetration and disruption of the Escherichia coli cell membrane by polymyxin B. The transcriptomic analysis revealed that the combination resulted in energy depletion by inhibiting both aerobic and anaerobic respiration patterns in bacterial cells. The increased bactericidal effect of polymyxin B on the E. coli ∆nuoC strain further indicates that NuoC could be a promising target for nitazoxanide. Furthermore, the combination of nitazoxanide and polymyxin B showed promising therapeutic effects in a mouse infection model infected with E. coli. Taken together, these results demonstrate the potential of nitazoxanide as a novel adjuvant to polymyxin B, to overcome antibiotic resistance and improve therapeutic outcomes in refractory infections.IMPORTANCEThe rapid spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria poses a serious threat to public health. The search for potential compounds that can increase the antibacterial activity of existing antibiotics is a promising strategy for addressing this issue. Here, the synergistic activity of the FDA-approved agent nitazoxanide (NTZ) combined with polymyxin B was investigated in vitro using checkerboard assays and time-kill curves. The synergistic mechanisms of the combination of nitazoxanide and polymyxin B were explored by fluorescent dye, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and transcriptomic analysis. The synergistic efficacy was evaluated in vivo by the Escherichia coli and mouse sepsis models. These results suggested that nitazoxanide, as a promising antibiotic adjuvant, can effectively enhance polymyxin B activity, providing a potential strategy for treating multidrug-resistant bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejia Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Dongliang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoyang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Chunmei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Haihong Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenchong Ye
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Guoping Liu
- College of Animal Science, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei, China
| | - Keyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
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Ma J, Yang M, Zhang B, Niu M. The roles of templates consisting of amino acids in the synthesis and application of gold nanoclusters. NANOSCALE 2024; 16:7287-7306. [PMID: 38529817 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr06042j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) with low toxicity, high photostability, and facile synthesis have attracted great attention. The ligand is of great significance in stabilizing AuNCs and regulating their properties. Ligands consisting of amino acids (proteins and peptides) are an ideal template for synthesizing applicative AuNCs due to their inherent bioactivity, biocompatibility, and accessibility. In this review, we summarize the correlation of the template consisting of amino acids with the properties of AuNCs by analyzing different peptide sequences. The selection of amino acids can regulate the fluorescence excitation/emission and intensity, size, cell uptake, and light absorption. By analyzing the role played by AuNCs stabilized by proteins and peptides in the application, universal rules and detailed performances of sensors, antibacterial agents, therapeutic reagents, and light absorbers are reviewed. This review can guide the template design and application of AuNCs when selecting proteins and peptides as ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinliang Ma
- College of Food and Bioengineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan 471000, China.
| | - Mengmeng Yang
- College of Food and Bioengineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan 471000, China.
| | - Bin Zhang
- College of Food and Bioengineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan 471000, China.
| | - Mingfu Niu
- College of Food and Bioengineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan 471000, China.
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Zhang H, Wang Y, Zhu Y, Huang P, Gao Q, Li X, Chen Z, Liu Y, Jiang J, Gao Y, Huang J, Qin Z. Machine learning and genetic algorithm-guided directed evolution for the development of antimicrobial peptides. J Adv Res 2024:S2090-1232(24)00078-X. [PMID: 38431124 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2024.02.016] [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: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are valuable alternatives to traditional antibiotics, possess a variety of potent biological activities and exhibit immunomodulatory effects that alleviate difficult-to-treat infections. Clarifying the structure-activity relationships of AMPs can direct the synthesis of desirable peptide therapeutics. OBJECTIVES In this study, the lipopolysaccharide-binding domain (LBD) was identified through machine learning-guided directed evolution, which acts as a functional domain of the anti-lipopolysaccharide factor family of AMPs identified from Marsupenaeus japonicus. METHODS LBDA-D was identified as an output of this algorithm, in which the original LBDMj sequence was the input, and the three-dimensional solution structure of LBDB was determined using nuclear magnetic resonance. Furthermore, our study involved a comprehensive series of experiments, including morphological studies and in vitro and in vivo antibacterial tests. RESULTS The NMR solution structure showed that LBDB possesses a circular extended structure with a disulfide crosslink at the terminus and two 310-helices and exhibits a broad antimicrobial spectrum. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that LBDB induced the formation of a cluster of bacteria wrapped in a flexible coating that ruptured and consequently killed the bacteria. Finally, coinjection of LBDB, Vibrio alginolyticus and Staphylococcus aureus in vivo improved the survival of M. japonicus, demonstrating the promising therapeutic role of LBDB for treating infectious disease. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study pave the way for the rational drug design of activity-enhanced peptide antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heqian Zhang
- Center for Biological Science and Technology, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519087, China
| | - Yihan Wang
- Center for Biological Science and Technology, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519087, China
| | - Yanran Zhu
- Center for Biological Science and Technology, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519087, China
| | - Pengtao Huang
- Center for Biological Science and Technology, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519087, China
| | - Qiandi Gao
- Center for Biological Science and Technology, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519087, China
| | - Xiaojie Li
- Center for Biological Science and Technology, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519087, China
| | - Zhaoying Chen
- Center for Biological Science and Technology, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519087, China
| | - Yu Liu
- International Academic Center of Complex Systems, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519087, China
| | - Jiakun Jiang
- Center for Statistics and Data Science, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519087, China
| | - Yuan Gao
- Instrumentation and Service Center for Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519087, China
| | - Jiaquan Huang
- Center for Biological Science and Technology, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519087, China.
| | - Zhiwei Qin
- Center for Biological Science and Technology, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519087, China.
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Megaw J, Skvortsov T, Gori G, Dabai AI, Gilmore BF, Allen CCR. A novel bioinformatic method for the identification of antimicrobial peptides in metagenomes. J Appl Microbiol 2024; 135:lxae045. [PMID: 38383848 DOI: 10.1093/jambio/lxae045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
AIMS This study aimed to develop a new bioinformatic approach for the identification of novel antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which did not depend on sequence similarity to known AMPs held within databases, but on structural mimicry of another antimicrobial compound, in this case an ultrashort, synthetic, cationic lipopeptide (C12-OOWW-NH2). METHODS AND RESULTS When applied to a collection of metagenomic datasets, our outlined bioinformatic method successfully identified several short (8-10aa) functional AMPs, the activity of which was verified via disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration assays against a panel of 12 bacterial strains. Some peptides had activity comparable to, or in some cases, greater than, those from published studies that identified AMPs using more conventional methods. We also explored the effects of modifications, including extension of the peptides, observing an activity peak at 9-12aa. Additionally, the inclusion of a C-terminal amide enhanced activity in most cases. Our most promising candidate (named PB2-10aa-NH2) was thermally stable, lipid-soluble, and possessed synergistic activity with ethanol but not with a conventional antibiotic (streptomycin). CONCLUSIONS While several bioinformatic methods exist to predict AMPs, the approach outlined here is much simpler and can be used to quickly scan huge datasets. Searching for peptide sequences bearing structural similarity to other antimicrobial compounds may present a further opportunity to identify novel AMPs with clinical relevance, and provide a meaningful contribution to the pressing global issue of AMR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julianne Megaw
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, United Kingdom
| | - Timofey Skvortsov
- School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, United Kingdom
| | - Giulia Gori
- Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Aliyu I Dabai
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, United Kingdom
| | - Brendan F Gilmore
- School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher C R Allen
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, United Kingdom
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5
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Hansson A, Karlsen EA, Stensen W, Svendsen JSM, Berglin M, Lundgren A. Preventing E. coli Biofilm Formation with Antimicrobial Peptide-Functionalized Surface Coatings: Recognizing the Dependence on the Bacterial Binding Mode Using Live-Cell Microscopy. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:6799-6812. [PMID: 38294883 PMCID: PMC10875647 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c16004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can kill bacteria by destabilizing their membranes, yet translating these molecules' properties into a covalently attached antibacterial coating is challenging. Rational design efforts are obstructed by the fact that standard microbiology methods are ill-designed for the evaluation of coatings, disclosing few details about why grafted AMPs function or do not function. It is particularly difficult to distinguish the influence of the AMP's molecular structure from other factors controlling the total exposure, including which type of bonds are formed between bacteria and the coating and how persistent these contacts are. Here, we combine label-free live-cell microscopy, microfluidics, and automated image analysis to study the response of surface-bound Escherichia coli challenged by the same small AMP either in solution or grafted to the surface through click chemistry. Initially after binding, the grafted AMPs inhibited bacterial growth more efficiently than did AMPs in solution. Yet, after 1 h, E. coli on the coated surfaces increased their expression of type-1 fimbriae, leading to a change in their binding mode, which diminished the coating's impact. The wealth of information obtained from continuously monitoring the growth, shape, and movements of single bacterial cells allowed us to elucidate and quantify the different factors determining the antibacterial efficacy of the grafted AMPs. We expect this approach to aid the design of elaborate antibacterial material coatings working by specific and selective actions, not limited to contact-killing. This technology is needed to support health care and food production in the postantibiotic era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Hansson
- Department
of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University
of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
- Department
of Chemistry and Materials, RISE Research
Institutes of Sweden, Borås 50115, Sweden
| | - Eskil André Karlsen
- Amicoat
A/S, Sykehusvegen 23, Tromsø 9019, Norway
- Department
of Chemistry, UiT The Arctic University
of Norway, Tromsø 9037, Norway
| | - Wenche Stensen
- Department
of Chemistry, UiT The Arctic University
of Norway, Tromsø 9037, Norway
| | - John S. M. Svendsen
- Amicoat
A/S, Sykehusvegen 23, Tromsø 9019, Norway
- Department
of Chemistry, UiT The Arctic University
of Norway, Tromsø 9037, Norway
| | - Mattias Berglin
- Department
of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University
of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
- Department
of Chemistry and Materials, RISE Research
Institutes of Sweden, Borås 50115, Sweden
| | - Anders Lundgren
- Department
of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University
of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
- Centre
for Antibiotic Resistance Research (CARe), University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 41346, Sweden
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6
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Han J, Wu P, Yang J, Weng Y, Lin Y, Chen Z, Yu F, Lü X, Ni L. Development of a novel hybrid antimicrobial peptide for enhancing antimicrobial spectrum and potency against food-borne pathogens. J Appl Microbiol 2024; 135:lxae023. [PMID: 38337177 DOI: 10.1093/jambio/lxae023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
AIMS To address the increasingly serious challenge of the transmission of foodbrone pathogens in the food chain. METHODS AND RESULTS In this study, we employed rational design strategies, including truncation, amino acid substitution, and heterozygosity, to generate seven engineered peptides with α-helical structure, cationic property, and amphipathic characteristics based on the original Abhisin template. Among them, as the hybird antimicrobial peptide (AMP), AM exhibits exceptional stability, minimal toxicity, as well as broad-spectrum and potent antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogens. Besides, it was observed that the electrostatic incorporation demonstrates by AM results in its primary targeting and disruption of the cell wall and membrane of Escherichia coli O157: H7 (EHEC) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), resulting in membrane perforation and enhanced permeability. Additionally, AM effectively counteracts the deleterious effects of lipopolysaccharide, eradicating biofilms and ultimately inducing the demise of both food spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the significant potential of AM as a highly promising candidate for a novel food preservative and its great importance in the design and optimization of AMP-related agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinzhi Han
- Food Nutrition and Health Research Center, School of Advanced Manufacturing, Fuzhou University, Jinjiang, Fujian 362200, China
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
- Fujian Research Center of Food Biotechnology and Innovation Engineering, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Peifen Wu
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
- Fujian Research Center of Food Biotechnology and Innovation Engineering, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Jie Yang
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
- Fujian Research Center of Food Biotechnology and Innovation Engineering, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Yanlin Weng
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
- Fujian Research Center of Food Biotechnology and Innovation Engineering, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Yayi Lin
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
- Fujian Research Center of Food Biotechnology and Innovation Engineering, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Zhiying Chen
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
- Fujian Research Center of Food Biotechnology and Innovation Engineering, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Fengfan Yu
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
- Fujian Research Center of Food Biotechnology and Innovation Engineering, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Xucong Lü
- Food Nutrition and Health Research Center, School of Advanced Manufacturing, Fuzhou University, Jinjiang, Fujian 362200, China
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
- Fujian Research Center of Food Biotechnology and Innovation Engineering, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Li Ni
- Food Nutrition and Health Research Center, School of Advanced Manufacturing, Fuzhou University, Jinjiang, Fujian 362200, China
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
- Fujian Research Center of Food Biotechnology and Innovation Engineering, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
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7
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Gong Q, Liu B, Yuan F, Tao R, Huang Y, Zeng X, Zhu X, Zhao Y, Zhang Y, Yang M, Wang J, Liu T, Zhang G. Controllably Self-Assembled Antibacterial Nanofibrils Based on Insect Cuticle Protein for Infectious Wound Healing. ACS NANO 2023; 17:23679-23691. [PMID: 37983051 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c07131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
Developing self-assembled biomedical materials based on insect proteins is highly desirable due to their advantages of green, rich, and sustainable characters as well as excellent biocompatibility, which has been rarely explored. Herein, salt-induced controllable self-assembly, antibacterial performance, and infectious wound healing performance of an insect cuticle protein (OfCPH-2) originating from the Ostrinia furnacalis larva head capsule are investigated. Interestingly, the addition of salts could trigger the formation of beaded nanofibrils with uniform diameter, whose length highly depends on the salt concentration. Surprisingly, the OfCPH-2 nanofibrils not only could form functional films with broad-spectrum antibacterial abilities but also could promote infectious wound healing. More importantly, a possible wound healing mechanism was proposed, and it is the strong abilities of OfCPH-2 nanofibrils in promoting vascular formation and antibacterial activity that facilitate the process of infectious wound healing. Our exciting findings put forward instructive thoughts for developing innovative bioinspired materials based on insect proteins for wound healing and related biomedical fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyu Gong
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Optic-Electric Sensing and Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Ministry of Education, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, P. R. China
| | - Bohao Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Fenghou Yuan
- School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Runyi Tao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Yinjuan Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Shaanxi International Research Center for Soft Matter, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoyan Zeng
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Xingzhuo Zhu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Yilong Zhao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Yanpeng Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Mei Yang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Jizhao Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Tian Liu
- School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Guangjian Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
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8
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Tang Z, Jiang W, Li S, Huang X, Yang Y, Chen X, Qiu J, Xiao C, Xie Y, Zhang X, Li J, Verma CS, He Y, Yang A. Design and evaluation of tadpole-like conformational antimicrobial peptides. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1177. [PMID: 37980400 PMCID: PMC10657444 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05560-0] [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: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides are promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Herein, we report a class of "tadpole-like" peptides consisting of an amphipathic α-helical head and an aromatic tail. A structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of "tadpole-like" temporin-SHf and its analogs revealed that increasing the number of aromatic residues in the tail, introducing Arg to the α-helical head and rearranging the peptide topology dramatically increased antimicrobial activity. Through progressive structural optimization, we obtained two peptides, HT2 and RI-HT2, which exhibited potent antimicrobial activity, no hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity, and no propensity to induce resistance. NMR and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that both peptides indeed adopted "tadpole-like" conformations. Fluorescence experiments and electron microscopy confirmed the membrane targeting mechanisms of the peptides. Our studies not only lead to the discovery of a series of ultrashort peptides with potent broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities, but also provide a new strategy for rational design of novel "tadpole-like" antimicrobial peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyi Tang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, 400714, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Wuqiao Jiang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Shuangli Li
- National Centre for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Xue Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Yi Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Xiaorong Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Jingyi Qiu
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, 400714, China
| | - Chuyu Xiao
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Ying Xie
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Xu Zhang
- National Centre for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Jianguo Li
- Bioinformatics Institute, A∗STAR, 30 Biopolis Street, Matrix, Singapore, 138671, Singapore
- Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, 169856, Singapore
| | - Chandra Shekhar Verma
- Bioinformatics Institute, A∗STAR, 30 Biopolis Street, Matrix, Singapore, 138671, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Yun He
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
- BayRay Innovation Center, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China.
| | - Aimin Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
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9
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Golonka I, Pucułek JE, Greber KE, Dryś A, Sawicki W, Musiał W. Evaluation of the Effect of Antibacterial Peptides on Model Monolayers. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14861. [PMID: 37834308 PMCID: PMC10573695 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914861] [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: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of the study was to assess the effect of the synthesized antibacterial peptides: P2 (WKWK)2-KWKWK-NH2, P4 (C12)2-KKKK-NH2, P5 (KWK)2-KWWW-NH2, and P6 (KK)2-KWWW-NH2 on the physicochemical properties of a model biological membrane made of azolectin or lecithin. The Langmuir Wilhelmy method was used for the experiments. Based on the compressibility factor, it was determined that the monolayers formed of azolectin and peptides in the aqueous subphase are in the condensed liquid phase. At the boundary between the condensed and expanded liquid phases, there was a monolayer made of lecithin and P4, P5 or P6 in the aqueous subphase. In turn, the film consisting of lecithin alone (37.7 mN/m) and lecithin and P2 (42.6 mN/m) in the water subphase was in the expanded liquid phase. All peptides change, to varying degrees, the organization and packing of molecules in the monolayer, both those made of azolectin and of lecithin. The test results can be used for further research to design a system with the expected properties for specific organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iwona Golonka
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Biophysics, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 211A, 50–556 Wrocław, Poland; (I.G.); (J.E.P.); (A.D.)
| | - Jakub E. Pucułek
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Biophysics, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 211A, 50–556 Wrocław, Poland; (I.G.); (J.E.P.); (A.D.)
| | - Katarzyna E. Greber
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdańsk, Poland; (K.E.G.); (W.S.)
| | - Andrzej Dryś
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Biophysics, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 211A, 50–556 Wrocław, Poland; (I.G.); (J.E.P.); (A.D.)
| | - Wiesław Sawicki
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdańsk, Poland; (K.E.G.); (W.S.)
| | - Witold Musiał
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Biophysics, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 211A, 50–556 Wrocław, Poland; (I.G.); (J.E.P.); (A.D.)
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10
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Rainsford P, Rylandsholm FG, Jakubec M, Silk M, Juskewitz E, Ericson JU, Svendsen JS, Engh RA, Isaksson J. Label-free measurement of antimicrobial peptide interactions with lipid vesicles and nanodiscs using microscale thermophoresis. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12619. [PMID: 37537266 PMCID: PMC10400562 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39785-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
One strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance is the discovery of new classes of antibiotics. Most antibiotics will at some point interact with the bacterial membrane to either interfere with its integrity or to cross it. Reliable and efficient tools for determining the dissociation constant for membrane binding (KD) and the partitioning coefficient between the aqueous- and membrane phases (KP) are therefore important tools for discovering and optimizing antimicrobial hits. Here we demonstrate that microscale thermophoresis (MST) can be used for label-free measurement of KD by utilising the intrinsic fluorescence of tryptophan and thereby removing the need for chromophore labelling. As proof of principle, we have used the method to measure the binding of a set of small cyclic AMPs to large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) and two types of lipid nanodiscs assembled by styrene maleic acid (SMA) and quaternary ammonium SMA (SMA-QA). The measured KD values correlate well with the corresponding measurements using surface plasmon resonance (SPR), also broadly reflecting the tested AMPs' minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) towards S. aureus and E. coli. We conclude that MST is a promising method for fast and cost-efficient detection of peptide-lipid interactions or mapping of sample conditions in preparation for more advanced studies that rely on expensive sample preparation, labelling and/or instrument time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Rainsford
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Fredrik G Rylandsholm
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Martin Jakubec
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Mitchell Silk
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Eric Juskewitz
- Research Group for Host Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Johanna U Ericson
- Research Group for Host Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019, Tromsø, Norway
| | - John-Sigurd Svendsen
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Richard A Engh
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Johan Isaksson
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019, Tromsø, Norway.
- Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9037, Tromsø, Norway.
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11
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Kim M, Cheon Y, Shin D, Choi J, Nielsen JE, Jeong MS, Nam HY, Kim S, Lund R, Jenssen H, Barron AE, Lee S, Seo J. Real-Time Monitoring of Multitarget Antimicrobial Mechanisms of Peptoids Using Label-Free Imaging with Optical Diffraction Tomography. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2302483. [PMID: 37341246 PMCID: PMC10460844 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202302483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising therapeutics in the fight against multidrug-resistant bacteria. As a mimic of AMPs, peptoids with N-substituted glycine backbone have been utilized for antimicrobials with resistance against proteolytic degradation. Antimicrobial peptoids are known to kill bacteria by membrane disruption; however, the nonspecific aggregation of intracellular contents is also suggested as an important bactericidal mechanism. Here,structure-activity relationship (SAR) of a library of indole side chain-containing peptoids resulting in peptoid 29 as a hit compound is investigated. Then, quantitative morphological analyses of live bacteria treated with AMPs and peptoid 29 in a label-free manner using optical diffraction tomography (ODT) are performed. It is unambiguously demonstrated that both membrane disruption and intracellular biomass flocculation are primary mechanisms of bacterial killing by monitoring real-time morphological changes of bacteria. These multitarget mechanisms and rapid action can be a merit for the discovery of a resistance-breaking novel antibiotic drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minsang Kim
- Department of ChemistryGwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)123, Cheomdangwagi‐ro, Buk‐guGwangju61005Republic of Korea
| | - Yeongmi Cheon
- Gwangju CenterKorea Basic Science Institute (KBSI)49, Dosicheomdansaneop‐ro, Nam‐guGwangju61751Republic of Korea
- Laboratory of Molecular BiochemistryChonnam National University77, Yongbong‐ro, Buk‐guGwangju61186Republic of Korea
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular BiologyChungnam National University99, Daehak‐ro, Yuseong‐guDaejeon34134Republic of Korea
| | - Dongmin Shin
- Department of ChemistryGwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)123, Cheomdangwagi‐ro, Buk‐guGwangju61005Republic of Korea
| | - Jieun Choi
- Department of ChemistryGwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)123, Cheomdangwagi‐ro, Buk‐guGwangju61005Republic of Korea
| | - Josefine Eilsø Nielsen
- Department of Science and EnvironmentRoskilde UniversityUniversitetsvej 1Roskilde4000Denmark
- Department of Bioengineering, Schools of Medicine and EngineeringStanford University443 Via OrtegaStanfordCalifornia94305United States
| | - Myeong Seon Jeong
- Chuncheon CenterKorea Basic Science Institute (KBSI)1, Kangwondaehak‐gil, Chuncheon‐siGangwon‐do24341Republic of Korea
| | - Ho Yeon Nam
- Department of ChemistryGwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)123, Cheomdangwagi‐ro, Buk‐guGwangju61005Republic of Korea
| | - Sung‐Hak Kim
- Laboratory of Molecular BiochemistryChonnam National University77, Yongbong‐ro, Buk‐guGwangju61186Republic of Korea
| | - Reidar Lund
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of OsloProblemveien 7Oslo0315Norway
| | - Håvard Jenssen
- Department of Science and EnvironmentRoskilde UniversityUniversitetsvej 1Roskilde4000Denmark
| | - Annelise E. Barron
- Department of Bioengineering, Schools of Medicine and EngineeringStanford University443 Via OrtegaStanfordCalifornia94305United States
| | - Seongsoo Lee
- Gwangju CenterKorea Basic Science Institute (KBSI)49, Dosicheomdansaneop‐ro, Nam‐guGwangju61751Republic of Korea
- Department of Systems BiotechnologyChung‐Ang UniversityAnseong‐siGyeonggi‐do17546Republic of Korea
| | - Jiwon Seo
- Department of ChemistryGwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)123, Cheomdangwagi‐ro, Buk‐guGwangju61005Republic of Korea
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12
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Jakubec M, Rylandsholm FG, Rainsford P, Silk M, Bril'kov M, Kristoffersen T, Juskewitz E, Ericson JU, Svendsen JSM. Goldilocks Dilemma: LPS Works Both as the Initial Target and a Barrier for the Antimicrobial Action of Cationic AMPs on E. coli. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1155. [PMID: 37509189 PMCID: PMC10377513 DOI: 10.3390/biom13071155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are generally membrane-active compounds that physically disrupt bacterial membranes. Despite extensive research, the precise mode of action of AMPs is still a topic of great debate. This work demonstrates that the initial interaction between the Gram-negative E. coli and AMPs is driven by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that act as kinetic barriers for the binding of AMPs to the bacterial membrane. A combination of SPR and NMR experiments provide evidence suggesting that cationic AMPs first bind to the negatively charged LPS before reaching a binding place in the lipid bilayer. In the event that the initial LPS-binding is too strong (corresponding to a low dissociation rate), the cationic AMPs cannot effectively get from the LPS to the membrane, and their antimicrobial potency will thus be diminished. On the other hand, the AMPs must also be able to effectively interact with the membrane to exert its activity. The ability of the studied cyclic hexapeptides to bind LPS and to translocate into a lipid membrane is related to the nature of the cationic charge (arginine vs. lysine) and to the distribution of hydrophobicity along the molecule (alternating vs. clumped tryptophan).
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Jakubec
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Fredrik G Rylandsholm
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Philip Rainsford
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Mitchell Silk
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Maxim Bril'kov
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Tone Kristoffersen
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Eric Juskewitz
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Johanna U Ericson
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
| | - John Sigurd M Svendsen
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
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13
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Mukherjee N, Ghosh S, Sarkar J, Roy R, Nandi D, Ghosh S. Amyloid-Inspired Engineered Multidomain Amphiphilic Injectable Peptide Hydrogel─An Excellent Antibacterial, Angiogenic, and Biocompatible Wound Healing Material. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023. [PMID: 37429020 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c06599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
The ingrained mechanical robustness of amyloids in association with their fine-tunable physicochemical properties results in the rational design and synthesis of tailor-made biomaterials for specific applications. However, the incredible antimicrobial efficacy of these ensembles has largely been overlooked. This research work provides an insight into the interplay between self-assembly and antimicrobial activity of amyloid-derived peptide amphiphiles and thereby establishes a newfangled design principle toward the development of potent antimicrobial materials with superior wound healing efficacy. Apart from the relationship with many neurodegenerative diseases, amyloids are now considered as an important cornerstone of our innate immune response against pathogenic microbes. Impelled by this observation, a class of amphiphilic antimicrobial peptide-based biomaterial has been designed by taking Aβ42 as a template. The designed AMP due to its amphipathic nature undergoes rapid self-assembly to form a biocompatible supramolecular hydrogel network having significant antibacterial as well as wound healing effectivity on both Gram-negative P. aeruginosa and MRSA-infected diabetic wounds via reduced inflammatory response and enhanced angiogenesis. Results suggest that disease-forming amyloids can be used as a blueprint for the fabrication of biomaterial-based antimicrobial therapeutics by fine-tuning both the hydrophobicity of the β-aggregation prone zone as well as membrane interacting cationic residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nabanita Mukherjee
- Smart Healthcare, Interdisciplinary Research Platform, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, NH 62, Surpura Bypass Road, Karwar 342037, Rajasthan, India
| | - Satyajit Ghosh
- Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, NH 65, Surpura Bypass Road, Karwar 342037, Rajasthan, India
| | - Jayita Sarkar
- Centre for Research and Development for Scientific Instruments, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, NH 65, Surpura Bypass Road, Karwar 342037, Rajasthan, India
| | - Rajsekhar Roy
- Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, NH 65, Surpura Bypass Road, Karwar 342037, Rajasthan, India
| | - Debasmita Nandi
- Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, NH 65, Surpura Bypass Road, Karwar 342037, Rajasthan, India
| | - Surajit Ghosh
- Smart Healthcare, Interdisciplinary Research Platform, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, NH 62, Surpura Bypass Road, Karwar 342037, Rajasthan, India
- Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, NH 65, Surpura Bypass Road, Karwar 342037, Rajasthan, India
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14
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Sowers A, Wang G, Xing M, Li B. Advances in Antimicrobial Peptide Discovery via Machine Learning and Delivery via Nanotechnology. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1129. [PMID: 37317103 PMCID: PMC10223199 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11051129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been investigated for their potential use as an alternative to antibiotics due to the increased demand for new antimicrobial agents. AMPs, widely found in nature and obtained from microorganisms, have a broad range of antimicrobial protection, allowing them to be applied in the treatment of infections caused by various pathogenic microorganisms. Since these peptides are primarily cationic, they prefer anionic bacterial membranes due to electrostatic interactions. However, the applications of AMPs are currently limited owing to their hemolytic activity, poor bioavailability, degradation from proteolytic enzymes, and high-cost production. To overcome these limitations, nanotechnology has been used to improve AMP bioavailability, permeation across barriers, and/or protection against degradation. In addition, machine learning has been investigated due to its time-saving and cost-effective algorithms to predict AMPs. There are numerous databases available to train machine learning models. In this review, we focus on nanotechnology approaches for AMP delivery and advances in AMP design via machine learning. The AMP sources, classification, structures, antimicrobial mechanisms, their role in diseases, peptide engineering technologies, currently available databases, and machine learning techniques used to predict AMPs with minimal toxicity are discussed in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexa Sowers
- Department of Orthopaedics, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
- School of Pharmacy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - Guangshun Wang
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985900 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Malcolm Xing
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Bingyun Li
- Department of Orthopaedics, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
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15
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Szymczak P, Możejko M, Grzegorzek T, Jurczak R, Bauer M, Neubauer D, Sikora K, Michalski M, Sroka J, Setny P, Kamysz W, Szczurek E. Discovering highly potent antimicrobial peptides with deep generative model HydrAMP. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1453. [PMID: 36922490 PMCID: PMC10017685 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36994-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides emerge as compounds that can alleviate the global health hazard of antimicrobial resistance, prompting a need for novel computational approaches to peptide generation. Here, we propose HydrAMP, a conditional variational autoencoder that learns lower-dimensional, continuous representation of peptides and captures their antimicrobial properties. The model disentangles the learnt representation of a peptide from its antimicrobial conditions and leverages parameter-controlled creativity. HydrAMP is the first model that is directly optimized for diverse tasks, including unconstrained and analogue generation and outperforms other approaches in these tasks. An additional preselection procedure based on ranking of generated peptides and molecular dynamics simulations increases experimental validation rate. Wet-lab experiments on five bacterial strains confirm high activity of nine peptides generated as analogues of clinically relevant prototypes, as well as six analogues of an inactive peptide. HydrAMP enables generation of diverse and potent peptides, making a step towards resolving the antimicrobial resistance crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Szymczak
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics, University of Warsaw, Stefana Banacha 2, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marcin Możejko
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics, University of Warsaw, Stefana Banacha 2, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Tomasz Grzegorzek
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics, University of Warsaw, Stefana Banacha 2, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
- NVIDIA, 2788 San Tomas Expressway, Santa Clara, CA, 95051, USA
| | - Radosław Jurczak
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics, University of Warsaw, Stefana Banacha 2, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marta Bauer
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Damian Neubauer
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Karol Sikora
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Michał Michalski
- The Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Stefana Banacha 2c, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jacek Sroka
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics, University of Warsaw, Stefana Banacha 2, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Setny
- The Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Stefana Banacha 2c, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Wojciech Kamysz
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Ewa Szczurek
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics, University of Warsaw, Stefana Banacha 2, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland.
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16
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Wiman E, Zattarin E, Aili D, Bengtsson T, Selegård R, Khalaf H. Development of novel broad-spectrum antimicrobial lipopeptides derived from plantaricin NC8 β. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4104. [PMID: 36914718 PMCID: PMC10011573 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31185-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial resistance towards antibiotics is a major global health issue. Very few novel antimicrobial agents and therapies have been made available for clinical use during the past decades, despite an increasing need. Antimicrobial peptides have been intensely studied, many of which have shown great promise in vitro. We have previously demonstrated that the bacteriocin Plantaricin NC8 αβ (PLNC8 αβ) from Lactobacillus plantarum effectively inhibits Staphylococcus spp., and shows little to no cytotoxicity towards human keratinocytes. However, due to its limitations in inhibiting gram-negative species, the aim of the present study was to identify novel antimicrobial peptidomimetic compounds with an enhanced spectrum of activity, derived from the β peptide of PLNC8 αβ. We have rationally designed and synthesized a small library of lipopeptides with significantly improved antimicrobial activity towards both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including the ESKAPE pathogens. The lipopeptides consist of 16 amino acids with a terminal fatty acid chain and assemble into micelles that effectively inhibit and kill bacteria by permeabilizing their cell membranes. They demonstrate low hemolytic activity and liposome model systems further confirm selectivity for bacterial lipid membranes. The combination of lipopeptides with different antibiotics enhanced the effects in a synergistic or additive manner. Our data suggest that the novel lipopeptides are promising as future antimicrobial agents, however additional experiments using relevant animal models are necessary to further validate their in vivo efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuel Wiman
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Reproductive Science, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Elisa Zattarin
- Laboratory of Molecular Materials, Division of Biophysics and Bioengineering, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Daniel Aili
- Laboratory of Molecular Materials, Division of Biophysics and Bioengineering, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Torbjörn Bengtsson
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Reproductive Science, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Robert Selegård
- Laboratory of Molecular Materials, Division of Biophysics and Bioengineering, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden.
| | - Hazem Khalaf
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Reproductive Science, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
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17
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Chowdhary S, Pelzer T, Saathoff M, Quaas E, Pendl J, Fulde M, Koksch B. Fine‐tuning the antimicrobial activity of β‐hairpin peptides with fluorinated amino acids. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Suvrat Chowdhary
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Tim Pelzer
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Mareike Saathoff
- Institute of Microbiology and Epizootics, Centre of Infection Medicine Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Elisa Quaas
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Core Facility SupraFAB Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Johanna Pendl
- Institute of Veterinary Anatomy Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Marcus Fulde
- Institute of Microbiology and Epizootics, Centre of Infection Medicine Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
- Veterinary Centre for Resistance Research (TZR) Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Beate Koksch
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
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18
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Evolutionary and in silico guided development of novel peptide analogues for antibacterial activity against ESKAPE pathogens. CURRENT RESEARCH IN MICROBIAL SCIENCES 2023; 4:100183. [PMID: 37032813 PMCID: PMC10073642 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2023.100183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
According to WHO, to combat the resistant strains, new effective anti-microbial agents are needed on an urgent basis and global researchers should focus their efforts and discovery programs on developing them against antibiotic-resistant pathogens or priority pathogens like ESKAPE. In this context, Cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are being explored extensively as promising next-generation antimicrobials due to their broad range, fast kinetics and multifunctional role. Despite recent advances, it is still a daunting challenge to identify and design a potent AMP with no cytotoxicity, but with broad specific antimicrobial activity, stability and efficacy under in vivo conditions in a cost-effective and robust manner. In this work, as a proof of concept, we designed novel potent AMPs using artificial intelligence based in silico programs. Shortlisted peptide sequences were synthesized using the fmoc chemistry approach, assessed their antimicrobial activity, cell selectivity, mode of action and in vivo efficacy using a series of experiments. The synthesized peptide analogues demonstrated their antimicrobial activity (MIC in the range of 2.5-80 μM) against bacteria. The identified potential lead molecules showed antibacterial activity in physiological conditions with no signs of cytotoxicity. We further tested the antimicrobial activity of peptide analogues for treating wounds infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the mice burn wound model. In drug-development programs, the identification of lead antimicrobial agents is always challenging and involves screening a large number of molecules which is time-consuming and expensive. This work demonstrates the utility of artificial intelligence based in silico analysis programs in discovering novel antimicrobial agents in an economical, robust way.
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19
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Effect of Newly Synthesized Structures of Peptides on the Stability of the Monolayers Formed. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054318. [PMID: 36901749 PMCID: PMC10001825 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054318] [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: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of the peptide structure (WKWK)2-KWKWK-NH2, P4 (C12)2-KKKK-NH2, P5 (KWK)2-KWWW-NH2, P6 (KK)2-KWWW-NH2 on their physicochemical properties. The thermogravimetric method (TG/DTG) was used, which made it possible to observe the course of chemical reactions and phase transformations occurring during the heating of solid samples. Based on the DSC curves, the enthalpy of the processes occurring in the peptides was determined. The influence of the chemical structure of this group of compounds on their film-forming properties was determined using the Langmuir-Wilhelmy trough method and was followed by molecular dynamics simulation. Evaluated peptides showed high thermal stability and the first significant mass loss occurred only at about 230 °C and 350 °C. The analysis of the compressibility coefficient of individual peptides indicates that all formed peptide monolayers were in the expanded liquid phase. Their maximum compressibility factor was less than 50.0 mN/m. Its highest value of 42.7 mN/m was achieved in a monolayer made of P4. The results obtained in molecular dynamic simulation indicate that non-polar side chains played an important role in the properties of the P4 monolayer, and the same applies to P5, except that a spherical effect was observed here. A slightly different behavior was observed for the P6 and P2 peptide systems, where the type of amino acids present had an influence. The obtained results indicate that the structure of the peptide affected its physicochemical and layer-forming properties.
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Pulat G, Muganlı Z, Ercan UK, Karaman O. Effect of antimicrobial peptide conjugated surgical sutures on multiple drug-resistant microorganisms. J Biomater Appl 2023; 37:1182-1194. [PMID: 36510770 DOI: 10.1177/08853282221145872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Surgical site infections are commonly encountered as a risk factor in clinics that increase the morbidity of a patient after a surgical operation. Surgical sutures are one of the leading factor for the formation of surgical site infections that induce bacterial colonization by their broad surface area. Current strategies to overcome with surgical site infections consist utilization of antibiotic agent coatings such as triclosan. However, the significant increase in antibiotic resistance majorly decreases their efficiency against recalcitrant pathogens such as; Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, the development of a multi drug-resistant antimicrobial suture without any cytotoxic effect to combat surgical site infections is vital. Antimicrobial peptides are the first defense line which has a broad range of spectrum against Gram-positive, and Gram-negative bacteria and even viruses. In addition, antimicrobial peptides have a rapid killing mechanism which is enhanced by membrane disruption and inhibition of functional proteins in pathogens without the development of antimicrobial resistance. In the scope of the current study, the antimicrobial effect of antimicrobial peptide conjugated poly (glycolic acid-co-caprolactone) (PGCL) sutures were investigated against P. aeruginosa and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains by using antimicrobial peptide sequences of KRFRIRVRV-NH2, RWRWRWRW-NH2 and their dual combination (1:1). In addition, in vitro wound scratch assays were performed to evaluate the effect of antimicrobial peptide conjugated sutures on keratinocyte cell lines. Our results indicated that antimicrobial peptide modified sutures could be a potential novel medical device to overcome surgical site infections by the superior acceleration of wound healing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Günnur Pulat
- Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 226844İzmir Katip Çelebi University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Zülal Muganlı
- Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 226844İzmir Katip Çelebi University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Utku Kürşat Ercan
- Plasma Medicine Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 226844İzmir Katip Çelebi University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Ozan Karaman
- Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 226844İzmir Katip Çelebi University, İzmir, Turkey
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Barragán-Cárdenas A, Insuasty-Cepeda DS, Vargas-Casanova Y, López-Meza JE, Parra-Giraldo CM, Fierro-Medina R, Rivera-Monroy ZJ, García-Castañeda JE. Changes in Length and Positive Charge of Palindromic Sequence RWQWRWQWR Enhance Cytotoxic Activity against Breast Cancer Cell Lines. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:2712-2722. [PMID: 36687035 PMCID: PMC9850729 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c07336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the main causes of premature death in women; current treatments have low selectivity, generating strong physical and psychological sequelae. The palindromic peptide R-1-R (RWQWRWQWR) has cytotoxic activity against different cell lines derived from cancer and selectivity against noncancerous cells. To determine if changes in the charge/length of this peptide increase its activity, six peptides were obtained by SPPS, three of them with addition of Arg at the N, C-terminal or both and three with deletion of Arg at the N, C-terminal or both. The cytotoxic and selective activities were evaluated against MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and MCF-12 cell lines and fibroblast primary cell culture, evidencing that the RR-1-R peptide with the inclusion of Arg in the N-terminal end maintained selectivity and increased cytotoxicity against lines derived from breast cancer. The effect of this addition regarding the type of induced cell death was evaluated by flow cytometry, showing very low rates of necrosis and a significant majority of apoptotic events with activation of both Caspase 8 and Caspase 9. This work allowed us to find a modification that generates a peptide with greater cytotoxic effects and can be considered a promising molecule for other approaches to improve anticancer peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yerly Vargas-Casanova
- Microbiology
Department, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Ak. 7 #40-62, Bogotá 110231, Colombia
| | - Joel Edmundo López-Meza
- Multidisciplinary
Centre for Studies in Biotechnology, Universidad
Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Km 9.5 Carretera Morelia, Zinapécuaro, Morelia 58030, Mexico
| | | | - Ricardo Fierro-Medina
- Chemistry
Department, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 45 No. 26-85, Building 451, Bogota 111321, Colombia
| | - Zuly Jenny Rivera-Monroy
- Chemistry
Department, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 45 No. 26-85, Building 451, Bogota 111321, Colombia
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Wang X, Li J, Zhang S, Zhou W, Zhang L, Huang X. pH-activated antibiofilm strategies for controlling dental caries. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1130506. [PMID: 36949812 PMCID: PMC10025512 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1130506] [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: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Dental biofilms are highly assembled microbial communities surrounded by an extracellular matrix, which protects the resident microbes. The microbes, including commensal bacteria and opportunistic pathogens, coexist with each other to maintain relative balance under healthy conditions. However, under hostile conditions such as sugar intake and poor oral care, biofilms can generate excessive acids. Prolonged low pH in biofilm increases proportions of acidogenic and aciduric microbes, which breaks the ecological equilibrium and finally causes dental caries. Given the complexity of oral microenvironment, controlling the acidic biofilms using antimicrobials that are activated at low pH could be a desirable approach to control dental caries. Therefore, recent researches have focused on designing novel kinds of pH-activated strategies, including pH-responsive antimicrobial agents and pH-sensitive drug delivery systems. These agents exert antibacterial properties only under low pH conditions, so they are able to disrupt acidic biofilms without breaking the neutral microenvironment and biodiversity in the mouth. The mechanisms of low pH activation are mainly based on protonation and deprotonation reactions, acids labile linkages, and H+-triggered reactive oxygen species production. This review summarized pH-activated antibiofilm strategies to control dental caries, concentrating on their effect, mechanisms of action, and biocompatibility, as well as the limitation of current research and the prospects for future study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuqing Wang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterial & Stomatological Key Lab of Fujian College and University, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jingling Li
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterial & Stomatological Key Lab of Fujian College and University, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shujun Zhang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterial & Stomatological Key Lab of Fujian College and University, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Wen Zhou
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterial & Stomatological Key Lab of Fujian College and University, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Linglin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Department of Cariology and Endodontics, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaojing Huang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterial & Stomatological Key Lab of Fujian College and University, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaojing Huang,
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Characterisation of a novel crustin isoform from mud crab, Scylla serrata (Forsskål, 1775) and its functional analysis in silico. In Silico Pharmacol 2022; 11:2. [PMID: 36582926 PMCID: PMC9795441 DOI: 10.1007/s40203-022-00138-w] [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: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A 336-base pair (bp) sized mRNA sequence encoding 111 amino acid size crustin isoform (MC-crustin) was obtained from the gill sample of the green mud crab, Scylla serrata. MC-crustin possessed an N-terminal signal peptide region comprising of 21 amino acid residues, followed by a 90 amino acid mature peptide region having a molecular weight of 10.164 kDa, charge + 4.25 and theoretical pI of 8.27. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree analyses revealed the peptide to be a Type I crustin, with four conserved cysteine residues forming the cysteine rich region, followed by WAP domain. MC-crustin was cationic with cysteine/proline rich structure and was predicted with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic and anti-hypertensive property making it a potential molecule for possible therapeutic applications.
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24
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Grant TM, Rennison D, Arabshahi HJ, Brimble MA, Cahill P, Svenson J. Effect of regio- and stereoisomerism on antifouling 2,5-diketopiperazines. Org Biomol Chem 2022; 20:9431-9446. [PMID: 36408605 DOI: 10.1039/d2ob01864k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Marine biofouling is a problem that plagues all maritime industries at vast economic and environmental cost. Previous and current methods to prevent biofouling have employed the use of heavy metals and other toxic or highly persistent chemicals, and these methods are now coming under immense regulatory pressure. Recent studies have illustrated the potential of nature-inspired tetrasubstituted 2,5-diketopiperazines (2,5-DKPs) as eco-friendly marine biocides for biofouling control. These highly active symmetrically substituted 2,5-DKPs can be generated by combining structural motifs from cationic innate defence peptides and natural marine antifoulants. A balance between a threshold hydrophobic contribution and sufficient cationic charge has been established as key for bioactivity, and our current study further increases understanding of the antifouling mechanism by investigating the effect of both regio- and stereochemistry. Novel synthetic routes for the generation of unsymmetrical 2,5-DKPs were developed and a library of nine compounds was prepared. The compounds were screened against a series of four model macrofouling organisms (Ciona savignyi, Mytilus galloprovincialis, Spirobranchus cariniferus, and Undaria pinnatifida). Several of the evaluated compounds displayed inhibitory activity at sub-micromolar concentrations. The structural contributions to antifouling bioactivity were studied using NMR spectroscopy and molecular modelling, revealing a strong dependence on a stable amphiphilic solution structure regardless of substitution pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M Grant
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - David Rennison
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - Homayon J Arabshahi
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - Margaret A Brimble
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - Patrick Cahill
- Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street, Nelson, New Zealand.
| | - Johan Svenson
- Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street, Nelson, New Zealand.
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25
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The dynamic landscape of peptide activity prediction. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:6526-6533. [DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.11.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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Amirkhanov NV, Bardasheva AV, Tikunova NV, Pyshnyi DV. Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptides: IV. Effect of Cationic Groups of Lysine, Arginine, and Histidine on Antimicrobial Activity of Peptides with a ‘Circular’ Type of Amphipathicity. RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1068162022050041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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27
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Structure of Lacticaseicin 30 and Its Engineered Variants Revealed an Interplay between the N-Terminal and C-Terminal Regions in the Activity against Gram-Negative Bacteria. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14091921. [PMID: 36145669 PMCID: PMC9505257 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14091921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Revised: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Lacticaseicin 30 is one of the five bacteriocins produced by the Gram-positive Lacticaseibacillus paracasei CNCM I-5369. This 111 amino acid bacteriocin is noteworthy for being active against Gram-negative bacilli including Escherichia coli strains resistant to colistin. Prediction of the lacticaseicin 30 structure using the Alphafold2 pipeline revealed a largely helical structure including five helix segments, which was confirmed by circular dichroism. To identify the structural requirements of the lacticaseicin 30 activity directed against Gram-negative bacilli, a series of variants, either shortened or containing point mutations, was heterologously produced in Escherichia coli and assayed for their antibacterial activity against a panel of target strains including Gram-negative bacteria and the Gram-positive Listeria innocua. Lacticaseicin 30 variants comprising either the N-terminal region (amino acids 1 to 39) or the central and C-terminal regions (amino acids 40 to 111) were prepared. Furthermore, mutations were introduced by site-directed mutagenesis to obtain ten bacteriocin variants E6G, T7P, E32G, T33P, T52P, D57G, A74P, Y78S, Y93S and A97P. Compared to lacticaseicin 30, the anti-Gram-negative activity of the N-terminal peptide and variants E32G, T33P and D57G remained almost unchanged, while that of the C-terminal peptide and variants E6G, T7P, T52P, A74P, Y78S, Y93S and A97P was significantly altered. Finally, the N-terminal region was further shortened to keep only the first 20 amino acid part that was predicted to include the first helix. The anti-Gram-negative activity of this truncated peptide was completely abolished. Overall, this study shows that activity of lacticaseicin 30, one of the rare Gram-positive bacteriocins inhibiting Gram-negative bacteria, requires at least two helices in the N-terminal region and that the C-terminal region carries amino acids playing a role in modulation of the activity. Taken together, these data will help to design forthcoming variants of lacticaseicin 30 as promising therapeutic agents to treat infections caused by Gram-negative bacilli.
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Tryptophan, more than just an interfacial amino acid in the membrane activity of cationic cell-penetrating and antimicrobial peptides. Q Rev Biophys 2022; 55:e10. [PMID: 35979810 DOI: 10.1017/s0033583522000105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Trp is unique among the amino acids since it is involved in many different types of noncovalent interactions such as electrostatic and hydrophobic ones, but also in π-π, π-cation, π-anion and π-ion pair interactions. In membranotropic peptides and proteins, Trp locates preferentially at the water-membrane interface. In antimicrobial or cell-penetrating peptides (AMPs and CPPs respectively), Trp is well-known for its strong role in the capacity of these peptides to interact and affect the membrane organisation of both bacteria and animal cells at the level of the lipid bilayer. This essential amino acid can however be involved in other types of interactions, not only with lipids, but also with other membrane partners, that are crucial to understand the functional roles of membranotropic peptides. This review is focused on this latter less known role of Trp and describes in details, both in qualitative and quantitative ways: (i) the physico-chemical properties of Trp; (ii) its effect in CPP internalisation; (iii) its importance in AMP activity; (iv) its role in the interaction of AMPs with glycoconjugates or lipids in bacteria membranes and the consequences on the activity of the peptides; (v) its role in the interaction of CPPs with negatively charged polysaccharides or lipids of animal membranes and the consequences on the activity of the peptides. We intend to bring highlights of the physico-chemical properties of Trp and describe its extensive possibilities of interactions, not only at the well-known level of the lipid bilayer, but with other less considered cell membrane components, such as carbohydrates and the extracellular matrix. The focus on these interactions will allow the reader to reevaluate reported studies. Altogether, our review gathers dedicated studies to show how unique are Trp properties, which should be taken into account to design future membranotropic peptides with expected antimicrobial or cell-penetrating activity.
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Host–Bacterial Interactions: Outcomes of Antimicrobial Peptide Applications. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12070715. [PMID: 35877918 PMCID: PMC9317001 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12070715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The bacterial membrane is part of a secretion system which plays an integral role to secrete proteins responsible for cell viability and pathogenicity; pathogenic bacteria, for example, secrete virulence factors and other membrane-associated proteins to invade the host cells through various types of secretion systems (Type I to Type IX). The bacterial membrane can also mediate microbial communities’ communication through quorum sensing (QS), by secreting auto-stimulants to coordinate gene expression. QS plays an important role in regulating various physiological processes, including bacterial biofilm formation while providing increased virulence, subsequently leading to antimicrobial resistance. Multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria have emerged as a threat to global health, and various strategies targeting QS and biofilm formation have been explored by researchers worldwide. Since the bacterial secretion systems play such a crucial role in host–bacterial interactions, this review intends to outline current understanding of bacterial membrane systems, which may provide new insights for designing approaches aimed at antimicrobials discovery. Various mechanisms pertaining interaction of the bacterial membrane with host cells and antimicrobial agents will be highlighted, as well as the evolution of bacterial membranes in evasion of antimicrobial agents. Finally, the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as a cellular device for bacterial secretion systems will be discussed as emerging potential candidates for the treatment of multidrug resistance infections.
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Vishnepolsky B, Grigolava M, Managadze G, Gabrielian A, Rosenthal A, Hurt DE, Tartakovsky M, Pirtskhalava M. Comparative analysis of machine learning algorithms on the microbial strain-specific AMP prediction. Brief Bioinform 2022; 23:6611915. [PMID: 35724561 PMCID: PMC9294419 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbac233] [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: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of drug-resistant pathogenic microbial species is a major global health concern. Naturally occurring, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are considered promising candidates to address antibiotic resistance problems. A variety of computational methods have been developed to accurately predict AMPs. The majority of such methods are not microbial strain specific (MSS): they can predict whether a given peptide is active against some microbe, but cannot accurately calculate whether such peptide would be active against a particular MS. Due to insufficient data on most MS, only a few MSS predictive models have been developed so far. To overcome this problem, we developed a novel approach that allows to improve MSS predictive models (MSSPM), based on properties, computed for AMP sequences and characteristics of genomes, computed for target MS. New models can perform predictions of AMPs for MS that do not have data on peptides tested on them. We tested various types of feature engineering as well as different machine learning (ML) algorithms to compare the predictive abilities of resulting models. Among the ML algorithms, Random Forest and AdaBoost performed best. By using genome characteristics as additional features, the performance for all models increased relative to models relying on AMP sequence-based properties only. Our novel MSS AMP predictor is freely accessible as part of DBAASP database resource at http://dbaasp.org/prediction/genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Vishnepolsky
- Corresponding authors: B. Vishnepolsky, Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Ivane Beritashvili Center of Experimental Biomedicine, Tbilisi, Georgia. Tel: +995595771363; E-mail: ; M. Pirtskhalava, Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Ivane Beritashvili Center of Experimental Biomedicine, Tbilisi, Georgia. Tel: +995574162397; E-mail:
| | - Maya Grigolava
- Ivane Beritashvili Center of Experimental Biomedicine, Tbilisi 0160, Georgia
| | - Grigol Managadze
- Ivane Beritashvili Center of Experimental Biomedicine, Tbilisi 0160, Georgia
| | - Andrei Gabrielian
- Office of Cyber Infrastructure and Computational Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Alex Rosenthal
- Office of Cyber Infrastructure and Computational Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Darrell E Hurt
- Office of Cyber Infrastructure and Computational Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Michael Tartakovsky
- Office of Cyber Infrastructure and Computational Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Malak Pirtskhalava
- Corresponding authors: B. Vishnepolsky, Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Ivane Beritashvili Center of Experimental Biomedicine, Tbilisi, Georgia. Tel: +995595771363; E-mail: ; M. Pirtskhalava, Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Ivane Beritashvili Center of Experimental Biomedicine, Tbilisi, Georgia. Tel: +995574162397; E-mail:
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León Madrazo A, Segura Campos MR. In silico prediction of peptide variants from chia (S. hispanica L.) with antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and antioxidant potential. Comput Biol Chem 2022; 98:107695. [DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2022.107695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Svenson J, Molchanova N, Schroeder CI. Antimicrobial Peptide Mimics for Clinical Use: Does Size Matter? Front Immunol 2022; 13:915368. [PMID: 35720375 PMCID: PMC9204644 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.915368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The search for efficient antimicrobial therapies that can alleviate suffering caused by infections from resistant bacteria is more urgent than ever before. Infections caused by multi-resistant pathogens represent a significant and increasing burden to healthcare and society and researcher are investigating new classes of bioactive compounds to slow down this development. Antimicrobial peptides from the innate immune system represent one promising class that offers a potential solution to the antibiotic resistance problem due to their mode of action on the microbial membranes. However, challenges associated with pharmacokinetics, bioavailability and off-target toxicity are slowing down the advancement and use of innate defensive peptides. Improving the therapeutic properties of these peptides is a strategy for reducing the clinical limitations and synthetic mimics of antimicrobial peptides are emerging as a promising class of molecules for a variety of antimicrobial applications. These compounds can be made significantly shorter while maintaining, or even improving antimicrobial properties, and several downsized synthetic mimics are now in clinical development for a range of infectious diseases. A variety of strategies can be employed to prepare these small compounds and this review describes the different compounds developed to date by adhering to a minimum pharmacophore based on an amphiphilic balance between cationic charge and hydrophobicity. These compounds can be made as small as dipeptides, circumventing the need for large compounds with elaborate three-dimensional structures to generate simplified and potent antimicrobial mimics for a range of medical applications. This review highlight key and recent development in the field of small antimicrobial peptide mimics as a promising class of antimicrobials, illustrating just how small you can go.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Natalia Molchanova
- The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Christina I. Schroeder
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD, United States
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Islam T, Rabbee MF, Choi J, Baek KH. Biosynthesis, Molecular Regulation, and Application of Bacilysin Produced by Bacillus Species. Metabolites 2022; 12:397. [PMID: 35629901 PMCID: PMC9147277 DOI: 10.3390/metabo12050397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbes produce a diverse range of secondary metabolites in response to various environmental factors and interspecies competition. This enables them to become superior in a particular environment. Bacilysin, a dipeptide antibiotic produced by Bacillus species, is active against a broad range of microorganisms. Because of its simple structure and excellent mode of action, i.e., through the inhibition of glucosamine 6-phosphate synthase, it has drawn the attention of researchers. In addition, it acts as a pleiotropic signaling molecule that affects different cellular activities. However, all Bacillus species are not capable of producing bacilysin. The biosynthesis of bacilysin by Bacillus species is not uniform throughout the population; specificity and heterogeneity at both the strain and species levels has been observed. This review discusses how bacilysin is biosynthesized by Bacillus species, the regulators of its biosynthesis, its importance in the host, and the abiotic factors affecting bacilysin production.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Kwang-Hyun Baek
- Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea; (T.I.); (M.F.R.); (J.C.)
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Grant TM, Rennison D, Krause AL, Mros S, Ferguson SA, Cook GM, Cameron A, Arabshahi HJ, Brimble MA, Cahill P, Svenson J. Stereochemical Effects on the Antimicrobial Properties of Tetrasubstituted 2,5-Diketopiperazines. ACS Med Chem Lett 2022; 13:632-640. [PMID: 35450374 PMCID: PMC9014430 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.1c00683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial drug resistance is a looming health crisis facing us in the modern era, and new drugs are urgently needed to combat this growing problem. Synthetic mimics of antimicrobial peptides have recently emerged as a promising class of compounds for the treatment of persistent microbial infections. In the current study, we investigate five cyclic N-alkylated amphiphilic 2,5-diketopiperazines against 15 different strains of bacteria and fungi, including drug-resistant clinical isolates. Several of the 2,5-diketopiperazines displayed activities similar or superior to antibiotics currently in clinical use, with activities coupled to both the cationic and hydrophobic substituents. All possible stereoisomers of the lead peptide were prepared, and the effects of stereochemistry and amphiphilicity were investigated via 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, solution dynamics, and membrane interaction modeling. Clear differences in solution structures and membrane interaction potentials explain the differences seen in the bioactivity and physicochemical properties of each stereoisomer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M. Grant
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - David Rennison
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Alexandra L. Krause
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Sonya Mros
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Scott A. Ferguson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Gregory M. Cook
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Alan Cameron
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Homayon J. Arabshahi
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Margaret A. Brimble
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Patrick Cahill
- Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street, Nelson 7010, New Zealand
| | - Johan Svenson
- Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street, Nelson 7010, New Zealand
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Shang L, Wu Y, Wei N, Yang F, Wang M, Zhang L, Fei C, Liu Y, Xue F, Gu F. Novel Arginine End-Tagging Antimicrobial Peptides to Combat Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:245-258. [PMID: 34964342 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c19305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms has been termed one of the most common global health threats, emphasizing the discovery of new antibacterial agents. To address this issue, we engineered peptides harboring "RWWWR" as a central motif plus arginine (R) end-tagging and then tested them in vitro and in vivo. Our results demonstrate that Pep 6, one of the engineered peptides, shows great potential in combating Escherichia coli bacteremia and the Staphylococcus aureus skin burn infection model, which induces a 62-90% reduction in bacterial burden. Remarkably, after long serial passages of S. aureus and E. coli for 30 days, Pep 6 is still highly efficient in killing pathogens, compared with 64- and 128-fold increase in minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for vancomycin and polymyxin B, respectively. We also found that Pep 6 exhibited robust biofilm-inhibiting activity and eliminated 61.33% of the mature methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) biofilm with concentration in the MIC level. These results suggest that the RWWWR motif and binding of arginine end-tagging could be harnessed as a new agent for combating multidrug-resistant bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Shang
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Yuting Wu
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Nan Wei
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Fayu Yang
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Mi Wang
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Lifang Zhang
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Chenzhong Fei
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Yingchun Liu
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Feiqun Xue
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Feng Gu
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Chemical Drugs and Pharmaceutics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 200241, China
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Vanzolini T, Bruschi M, Rinaldi AC, Magnani M, Fraternale A. Multitalented Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptides and Their Antibacterial, Antifungal and Antiviral Mechanisms. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:545. [PMID: 35008974 PMCID: PMC8745555 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the great strides in healthcare during the last century, some challenges still remained unanswered. The development of multi-drug resistant bacteria, the alarming growth of fungal infections, the emerging/re-emerging of viral diseases are yet a worldwide threat. Since the discovery of natural antimicrobial peptides able to broadly hit several pathogens, peptide-based therapeutics have been under the lenses of the researchers. This review aims to focus on synthetic peptides and elucidate their multifaceted mechanisms of action as antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal agents. Antimicrobial peptides generally affect highly preserved structures, e.g., the phospholipid membrane via pore formation or other constitutive targets like peptidoglycans in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, and glucan in the fungal cell wall. Additionally, some peptides are particularly active on biofilm destabilizing the microbial communities. They can also act intracellularly, e.g., on protein biosynthesis or DNA replication. Their intracellular properties are extended upon viral infection since peptides can influence several steps along the virus life cycle starting from viral receptor-cell interaction to the budding. Besides their mode of action, improvements in manufacturing to increase their half-life and performances are also taken into consideration together with advantages and impairments in the clinical usage. Thus far, the progress of new synthetic peptide-based approaches is making them a promising tool to counteract emerging infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Vanzolini
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, 61029 Urbino, PU, Italy; (T.V.); (M.M.); (A.F.)
| | - Michela Bruschi
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, 61029 Urbino, PU, Italy; (T.V.); (M.M.); (A.F.)
| | - Andrea C. Rinaldi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Monserrato, CA, Italy;
| | - Mauro Magnani
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, 61029 Urbino, PU, Italy; (T.V.); (M.M.); (A.F.)
| | - Alessandra Fraternale
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, 61029 Urbino, PU, Italy; (T.V.); (M.M.); (A.F.)
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Mhade S, Panse S, Tendulkar G, Awate R, Narasimhan Y, Kadam S, Yennamalli RM, Kaushik KS. AMPing Up the Search: A Structural and Functional Repository of Antimicrobial Peptides for Biofilm Studies, and a Case Study of Its Application to Corynebacterium striatum, an Emerging Pathogen. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:803774. [PMID: 34976872 PMCID: PMC8716830 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.803774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been recognized for their ability to target processes important for biofilm formation. Given the vast array of AMPs, identifying potential anti-biofilm candidates remains a significant challenge, and prompts the need for preliminary in silico investigations prior to extensive in vitro and in vivo studies. We have developed Biofilm-AMP (B-AMP), a curated 3D structural and functional repository of AMPs relevant to biofilm studies. In its current version, B-AMP contains predicted 3D structural models of 5544 AMPs (from the DRAMP database) developed using a suite of molecular modeling tools. The repository supports a user-friendly search, using source, name, DRAMP ID, and PepID (unique to B-AMP). Further, AMPs are annotated to existing biofilm literature, consisting of a vast library of over 10,000 articles, enhancing the functional capabilities of B-AMP. To provide an example of the usability of B-AMP, we use the sortase C biofilm target of the emerging pathogen Corynebacterium striatum as a case study. For this, 100 structural AMP models from B-AMP were subject to in silico protein-peptide molecular docking against the catalytic site residues of the C. striatum sortase C protein. Based on docking scores and interacting residues, we suggest a preference scale using which candidate AMPs could be taken up for further in silico, in vitro and in vivo testing. The 3D protein-peptide interaction models and preference scale are available in B-AMP. B-AMP is a comprehensive structural and functional repository of AMPs, and will serve as a starting point for future studies exploring AMPs for biofilm studies. B-AMP is freely available to the community at https://b-amp.karishmakaushiklab.com and will be regularly updated with AMP structures, interaction models with potential biofilm targets, and annotations to biofilm literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreeya Mhade
- Department of Bioinformatics, Guru Nanak Khalsa College of Arts, Science and Commerce (Autonomous), Mumbai, India
| | - Stutee Panse
- Huck Institutes of Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, College State, PA, United States
| | - Gandhar Tendulkar
- Department of Bioinformatics, Sir Sitaram and Lady Shantabai Patkar College of Arts and Science and V P Varde College of Commerce and Economics (Autonomous), Mumbai, India
| | - Rohit Awate
- Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Yatindrapravanan Narasimhan
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Chemical and Biotechnology, Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy (SASTRA), Deemed to Be University, Thanjavur, India
| | - Snehal Kadam
- Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
| | - Ragothaman M. Yennamalli
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Chemical and Biotechnology, Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy (SASTRA), Deemed to Be University, Thanjavur, India
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Singh V, Shrivastava S, Kumar Singh S, Kumar A, Saxena S. StaBle-ABPpred: a stacked ensemble predictor based on biLSTM and attention mechanism for accelerated discovery of antibacterial peptides. Brief Bioinform 2021; 23:6423526. [PMID: 34750606 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbab439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to the rapid emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria, existing antibiotics are becoming ineffective. So, researchers are looking for alternatives in the form of antibacterial peptides (ABPs) based medicines. The discovery of novel ABPs using wet-lab experiments is time-consuming and expensive. Many machine learning models have been proposed to search for new ABPs, but there is still scope to develop a robust model that has high accuracy and precision. In this work, we present StaBle-ABPpred, a stacked ensemble technique-based deep learning classifier that uses bidirectional long-short term memory (biLSTM) and attention mechanism at base-level and an ensemble of random forest, gradient boosting and logistic regression at meta-level to classify peptides as antibacterial or otherwise. The performance of our model has been compared with several state-of-the-art classifiers, and results were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) test and its post hoc analysis, which proves that our model performs better than existing classifiers. Furthermore, a web app has been developed and deployed at https://stable-abppred.anvil.app to identify novel ABPs in protein sequences. Using this app, we identified novel ABPs in all the proteins of the Streptococcus phage T12 genome. These ABPs have shown amino acid similarities with experimentally tested antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) of other organisms. Hence, they could be chemically synthesized and experimentally validated for their activity against different bacteria. The model and app developed in this work can be further utilized to explore the protein diversity for identifying novel ABPs with broad-spectrum activity, especially against MDR bacterial pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vishakha Singh
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sameer Shrivastava
- Division of Veterinary Biotechnology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, 243122, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sanjay Kumar Singh
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Abhinav Kumar
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sonal Saxena
- Division of Veterinary Biotechnology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, 243122, Uttar Pradesh, India
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39
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Paulus C, Zapp J, Luzhetskyy A. New Scabimycins A-C Isolated from Streptomyces acidiscabies (Lu19992). Molecules 2021; 26:5922. [PMID: 34641466 PMCID: PMC8513078 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26195922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide natural products displaying a wide range of biological activities have become important drug candidates over the years. Microorganisms have been a powerful source of such bioactive peptides, and Streptomyces have yielded many novel natural products thus far. In an effort to uncover such new, meaningful compounds, the metabolome of Streptomyces acidiscabies was analyzed thoroughly. Three new compounds, scabimycins A-C (1-3), were discovered, and their chemical structures were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy. The relative and absolute configurations were determined using ROESY NMR experiments and advanced Marfey's method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constanze Paulus
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany;
| | - Josef Zapp
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany;
| | - Andriy Luzhetskyy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany;
- AMEG Department, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
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40
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Clark S, Jowitt TA, Harris LK, Knight CG, Dobson CB. The lexicon of antimicrobial peptides: a complete set of arginine and tryptophan sequences. Commun Biol 2021; 4:605. [PMID: 34021253 PMCID: PMC8140080 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02137-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of the activity of cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) has focused on well-characterized natural sequences, or limited sets of synthetic peptides designed de novo. We have undertaken a comprehensive investigation of the underlying primary structural features that give rise to the development of activity in AMPs. We consider a complete set of all possible peptides, up to 7 residues long, composed of positively charged arginine (R) and / or hydrophobic tryptophan (W), two features most commonly associated with activity. We found the shortest active peptides were 4 or 5 residues in length, and the overall landscapes of activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and a yeast were positively correlated. For all three organisms we found a single activity peak corresponding to sequences with around 40% R; the presence of adjacent W duplets and triplets also conferred greater activity. The mechanistic basis of these activities comprises a combination of lipid binding, particularly to negatively charged membranes, and additionally peptide aggregation, a mode of action previously uninvestigated for such peptides. The maximum specific antimicrobial activity appeared to occur in peptides of around 10 residues, suggesting ‘diminishing returns’ for developing larger peptides, when activity is considered per residue of peptide. Clark et al. comprehensively explore the primary structural features underlying the activity of a complete set of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). They find that the shortest active peptides were 4 or 5 residues in length, with activity being associated with 40% arginine, and multiple adjacent tryptophan residues. This study provides insights into the design of effective AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam Clark
- Division of Pharmacy & Optometry, School of Health Sciences, Stopford Building, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK
| | - Thomas A Jowitt
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK
| | - Lynda K Harris
- Division of Pharmacy & Optometry, School of Health Sciences, Stopford Building, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK.,Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, The University of Manchester, St Mary's Hospital, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK.,St Mary's Hospital, Manchester Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK
| | - Christopher G Knight
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Michael Smith Building, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK
| | - Curtis B Dobson
- Division of Pharmacy & Optometry, School of Health Sciences, Stopford Building, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK.
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