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Dimitrova D, Nemska V, Foteva T, Iliev I, Georgieva N, Danalev D. Synthesis and Biological Studies of New Temporin A Analogs Containing Unnatural Amino Acids in Position 7. Pharmaceutics 2024; 16:716. [PMID: 38931840 PMCID: PMC11207040 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16060716] [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: 05/07/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Antimicrobial resistance is growing at an extreme pace and has proven to be an urgent topic, for research into alternative treatments. Such a prospective possibility is hidden in antimicrobial peptides because of their low to no toxicity, effectiveness at low concentrations, and most importantly their ability to be used for multiple treatments. This work was focused on the study of the effect of the modification in position 7 of Temporin A on its biological activity; (2) Methods: The targeted peptides were synthesized using Fmoc/Ot-Bu SPPS. The antibacterial activity of the analogs was determined using the broth microdilution method and disk-diffusion method. In vitro tests were performed to determine the cytotoxicity, phototoxicity, and antiproliferative activity of the peptide analogs on a panel of tumor and normal cell lines; (3) Results: All analogs except DTCit showed good antibacterial activity, with DTDab having the best activity according to the disk-diffusion method. However, DTCit had an acceptable cytotoxicity, combined with good selectivity against the test MCF-7 cell line; (4) Conclusions: The obtained results revealed the importance of the basicity and length of the side chain at position 7 in the Temporin A sequence for both tested activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilyana Dimitrova
- Biotechnology Department, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 8 Kliment Ohridski Blvd., 1797 Sofia, Bulgaria; (D.D.); (V.N.); (T.F.); (N.G.)
| | - Veronica Nemska
- Biotechnology Department, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 8 Kliment Ohridski Blvd., 1797 Sofia, Bulgaria; (D.D.); (V.N.); (T.F.); (N.G.)
| | - Tsvetelina Foteva
- Biotechnology Department, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 8 Kliment Ohridski Blvd., 1797 Sofia, Bulgaria; (D.D.); (V.N.); (T.F.); (N.G.)
| | - Ivan Iliev
- Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 25, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria;
| | - Nelly Georgieva
- Biotechnology Department, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 8 Kliment Ohridski Blvd., 1797 Sofia, Bulgaria; (D.D.); (V.N.); (T.F.); (N.G.)
| | - Dancho Danalev
- Biotechnology Department, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 8 Kliment Ohridski Blvd., 1797 Sofia, Bulgaria; (D.D.); (V.N.); (T.F.); (N.G.)
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2
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Sweany RR, Cary JW, Jaynes JM, Rajasekaran K. Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Activity of Synthetic Peptides GV185 and GV187. PLANT DISEASE 2023; 107:3211-3221. [PMID: 36947838 DOI: 10.1094/pdis-11-22-2572-re] [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: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Optimizing synthetic antimicrobial peptides for safe and enhanced activity against fungal and bacterial pathogens is useful for genetic engineering of plants for resistance to plant pathogens and their associated mycotoxins. Nine synthetic peptides modeled after lytic peptides tachyplesin 1, D4E1 from cecropin A, and protegrin 1 were added to germinated spores of fungal species Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus stolonifer, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum, F. verticillioides, F. graminearum, Claviceps purpurea, Verticillium dahliae, and Thielaviopsis basicola and bacterial cultures of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci and Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris at different doses and inhibitory dose response curves, and were modeled to assess antimicrobial activity. Peptides GV185 and GV187, modified from tachyplesin 1, had superior abilities to inhibit fungal and bacterial growth (50% inhibitory concentrations [IC50] ranging from 0.1 to 8.7 µM). R. stolonifer (IC50 = 8.1 µM), A. flavus (IC50 = 3.1 µM), and F. graminearum (IC50 = 2.2 µM) were less inhibited by GV185 and GV187 than all the remaining fungi (IC50 = 1.4 µM) and bacteria (IC50 = 0.1 µM). Of the remaining peptides, GV193, GV195, and GV196 (IC50 range of 0.9 to 6.6 µM) inhibited fungal growth of A. flavus, F. verticillioides, and F. graminearum less than GV185 and GV187 (IC50 range of 0.8 to 3.9 µM), followed by GV197 (IC50 range of 0.8 to 9.1 µM), whereas GV190 and GV192 inhibited poorly (IC50 range of 28.2 to 36.6 µM and 15.5 to 19.4 µM, respectively) and GV198 stimulated growth. GV185 and GV187 had slightly weaker hydrophobic and cationic residues than other tachyplesin 1 modified peptides but still had unexpectedly high lytic activity. Germinated fungal spores of R. stolonifer and F. graminearum exposed to these two peptides and D4E1 and AGM182 appeared wrinkled, with perforations near potential cytoplasmic leakage, which provided evidence of plasma membrane and cell wall lysis. We conclude that peptides GV185 and GV187 are promising candidates for genetic engineering of crops for resistance to plant-pathogenic bacteria and fungi, including A. flavus and aflatoxin contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca R Sweany
- Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, Southern Regional Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, New Orleans, LA 70124
| | - Jeffrey W Cary
- Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, Southern Regional Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, New Orleans, LA 70124
| | - Jesse M Jaynes
- Genvor, LLC, Dallas, TX 75240
- College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences, and College of Arts and Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088
| | - Kanniah Rajasekaran
- Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, Southern Regional Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, New Orleans, LA 70124
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3
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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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4
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Wang X, Yang X, Wang Q, Meng D. Unnatural amino acids: promising implications for the development of new antimicrobial peptides. Crit Rev Microbiol 2023; 49:231-255. [PMID: 35254957 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2022.2047008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The increasing incidence and rapid spread of bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics are a serious global threat to public health, highlighting the need to develop new antimicrobial alternatives. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a class of promising natural antibiotic candidates due to their broad-spectrum activity and low tendency to induce resistance. However, the development of AMPs for medical use is hampered by several obstacles, such as moderate activity, lability to proteolytic degradation, and low bioavailability. To date, many researchers have focussed on the optimization or design of novel artificial AMPs with desired properties. Unnatural amino acids (UAAs) are valuable building blocks in the manufacture of a variety of pharmaceuticals, and have been used to develop artificial AMPs with specific structural and physicochemical properties. Rational incorporation of UAAs has become a very promising approach to endow AMPs with strong and long-lasting activity but no toxicity. This review aims to summarize key approaches that have been used to incorporate UAAs to develop novel AMPs with improved properties and better performance. It is anticipated that this review will guide future design considerations for UAA-based antimicrobial applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuhong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaomin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiaoe Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cosmetic, China National Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Demei Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.,Tianjin Gasin-DH Preservation Technology Co., Ltd, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
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5
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Yang M, Liu S, Zhang C. Antimicrobial peptides with antiviral and anticancer properties and their modification and nanodelivery systems. CURRENT RESEARCH IN BIOTECHNOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2023.100121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
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6
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Mouse α-Defensins: Structural and Functional Analysis of the 17 Cryptdin Isoforms Identified from a Single Jejunal Crypt. Infect Immun 2023; 91:e0036122. [PMID: 36472443 PMCID: PMC9872612 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00361-22] [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] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mouse α-defensins, better known as cryptdins, are host protective antimicrobial peptides produced in the intestinal crypt by Paneth cells. To date, more than 20 cryptdin mRNAs have been identified from mouse small intestine, of which the first six cryptdins (Crp1 to Crp6) have been isolated and characterized at the peptide level. We quantified bactericidal activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus of the 17 cryptdin isoforms identified by Ouellette and colleagues from a single jejunal crypt (A. J. Ouellette et al., Infect Immun 62:5040-5047, 1994), along with linearized analogs of Crp1, Crp4, and Crp14. In addition, we analyzed the most potent and weakest cryptdins in the panel with respect to their ability to self-associate in solution. Finally, we solved, for the first time, the high-resolution crystal structure of a cryptdin, Crp14, and performed molecular dynamics simulation on Crp14 and a hypothetical mutant, T14K-Crp14. Our results indicate that mutational effects are highly dependent on cryptdin sequence, residue position, and bacterial strain. Crp14 adopts a disulfide-stabilized, three-stranded β-sheet core structure and forms a noncanonical dimer stabilized by asymmetrical interactions between the two β1 strands in parallel. The killing of E. coli by cryptdins is generally independent of their tertiary and quaternary structures that are important for the killing of S. aureus, which is indicative of two distinct mechanisms of action. Importantly, sequence variations impact the bactericidal activity of cryptdins by influencing their ability to self-associate in solution. This study expands our current understanding of how cryptdins function at the molecular level.
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Liu X, Yang Y, Han M, Guo J, Liu H, Liu Y, Xu J, Ji S, Chen X. Guanylated Hyperbranched Polylysines with High In Vitro and In Vivo Antifungal Activity. Adv Healthc Mater 2022; 11:e2201091. [PMID: 35775877 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202201091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
With the rapid growth of fungal infections and the emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) fungal strains, new antifungals with novel mechanisms are a pressing need to tackle this emerging health problem. Herein it is reported for the first time that hyperbranched polylysine (HPL) shows antifungal activities against Candida, especially for drug-sensitive and MDR C. albicans strains, and broad-spectrum antibacterial activities against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The high antimicrobial activities are ascribed to the high charge density and compact size of the globular structure of HPL. The in vitro antifungal activities of HPL3 are further enhanced by the modification of amine groups to form guanylated polylysines (HPL3-Gxs). Similar to antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), HPLs and HPL3-Gxs interact with and lyse the membranes of microbes, which mitigates the emergence of drug resistance. HPLs and HPL3-Gxs demonstrate excellent in vivo antimicrobial efficacies against both lethal C. albicans challenge in the invasive candidiasis model and lethal Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus challenge in the peritonitis model, and have potentials as broad-spectrum antimicrobials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130022, P. R. China
| | - Yilong Yang
- Laboratory of Vaccine and Antibody Engineering, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Fengtai, Beijing, 100071, P. R. China
| | - Miaomiao Han
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130022, P. R. China
| | - Jianwei Guo
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130022, P. R. China
| | - Hui Liu
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130022, P. R. China.,School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Yadong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130022, P. R. China
| | - Junjie Xu
- Laboratory of Vaccine and Antibody Engineering, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Fengtai, Beijing, 100071, P. R. China
| | - Shengxiang Ji
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130022, P. R. China.,School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Xuesi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130022, P. R. China.,School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
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8
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Fang Y, Zhu Y, Li L, Lai Z, Dong N, Shan A. Biomaterial-Interrelated Bacterial Sweeper: Simplified Self-Assembled Octapeptides with Double-Layered Trp Zipper Induces Membrane Destabilization and Bacterial Apoptosis-Like Death. SMALL METHODS 2021; 5:e2101304. [PMID: 34928043 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202101304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Treatment of microbial-associated infections continues to be hampered by impaired antibacterial efficiency and the variability in nanomedicines. Herein, an octapeptide library with a double-layered zipper, constructed via a systematic arrangement, simplifying the sequence and optimizing the structure (diverse motifs including surfactant-like, central-bola, and end-bola), is assessed in terms of biological efficiency and self-assembly properties. The results indicate that peptides with double-layered Trp zipper exhibit significant antimicrobial activity. Extracellularly, affinity interactions between micelles and bacteria induce the lateral flow of the membrane and electric potential perturbation. Intracellularly, lead molecules cause apoptosis-like death, as indicated by excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species, generation of a DNA ladder, and upregulation of mazEF expression. Among them, RW-1 performs the best in vivo and in vitro. The intersecting combination of Trp zipper and surfactants possesses overwhelming superiority with respect to bacterial sweepers (therapeutic index [TI] = 52.89), nanostructures (micelles), and bacterial damage compared to RW-2 (central-bola) and RW-3 (end-bola). These findings confirm that the combination of double-layered Trp zipper and surfactants has potential for application as a combined motif for combating microbial infection and connects the vast gap between antimicrobial peptides and self-assembly, such as Jacob's ladder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxin Fang
- Laboratory of Molecular Nutrition and Immunity, The Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, P. R. China
| | - Yunhui Zhu
- Laboratory of Molecular Nutrition and Immunity, The Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, P. R. China
| | - Ling Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Nutrition and Immunity, The Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, P. R. China
| | - Zhenheng Lai
- Laboratory of Molecular Nutrition and Immunity, The Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, P. R. China
| | - Na Dong
- Laboratory of Molecular Nutrition and Immunity, The Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, P. R. China
| | - Anshan Shan
- Laboratory of Molecular Nutrition and Immunity, The Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, P. R. China
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9
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Wester A, Björkling F, Franzyk H. Evaluation of 1 H-Triazole-1-[ N, N'-Bis( tert-butoxycarbonyl)]carboxamidine in Solution-Phase and On-Resin Guanidinylation. J Org Chem 2021; 86:14371-14380. [PMID: 34661410 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.1c00994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Several guanidines and guanidinylated peptides have substantial potential as therapeutics, but efficient guanidinylation reagents are vital for easy access to these compounds. Presently, pyrazole-1-carboxamidine type reagents are commonly used in the transformations of amines into corresponding guanidines. Here, we report a comparative study of the utility of 1H-triazole-1-[N,N'-bis(tert-butoxycarbonyl)]carboxamidine, which was synthesized in two steps and readily upscaled to gram amounts. It exhibited excellent performance in solution-phase reactions, rapidly converting a set of representative aliphatic primary and unhindered secondary amines as well as aniline into the corresponding bis(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-protected guanidines. To enable a direct assessment of the reactivity of guanidinylation reagents, conversions were performed in deuterated solvents (d7-DMF or d8-THF), allowing for continuous analysis of the reaction mixtures by 1H and 13C NMR. Likewise, 1H-triazole-1-[N,N'-bis(tert-butoxycarbonyl)]carboxamidine proved to be a versatile reagent in solid-phase conversions, for example, a resin-bound test peptide (KFFKFFK) was fully guanidinylated in only 2 h by using 2 equivalents of the reagent per free amino group. Also, 1H-triazole-1-[N,N'-bis(tert-butoxycarbonyl)]carboxamidine proved capable of completely guanidinylating more sterically hindered N-terminal residues (e.g., N-methyl amino acids or a peptoid) in resin-bound peptides. Its superior reactivity and stability demonstrated under heating conditions make 1H-triazole-1-[N,N'-bis(tert-butoxycarbonyl)]carboxamidine a valuable guanidinylation reagent both in solution- and solid-phase synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Wester
- Center for Peptide-Based Antibiotics, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, DK-2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
| | - Fredrik Björkling
- Center for Peptide-Based Antibiotics, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, DK-2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
| | - Henrik Franzyk
- Center for Peptide-Based Antibiotics, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, DK-2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
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10
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Han S, Zhao G, Wei Z, Chen Y, Zhao J, He Y, He YJ, Gao J, Chen S, Du C, Wang T, Sun W, Huang Y, Wang C, Wang J. An angiotensin-converting enzyme-2-derived heptapeptide GK-7 for SARS-CoV-2 spike blockade. Peptides 2021; 145:170638. [PMID: 34419496 PMCID: PMC8375220 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2021.170638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a global concern and necessitates efficient drug antagonists. Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) is the main receptor of SARS-CoV-2 spike 1 (S1), which mediates viral invasion into host cells. Herein, we designed and prepared short peptide inhibitors containing 4-6 critical residues of ACE2 that contribute to the interaction with SARS-CoV-2 S1. Among the candidates, a peptide termed GK-7 (GKGDFRI), which was designed by extracting residues ranging from Gly353 to Ile359 in the ligand-binding domain of ACE2, exhibited the highest binding affinity (25.1 nM) with the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD). GK-7 bound to the RBD and decreased SARS-CoV-2 S1 attachment to A549 human alveolar epithelial cells. Owing to spike blockade, GK-7 inhibited SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudovirion infection in a dose-dependent manner, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 2.96 μg/mL. Inspiringly, pulmonary delivery of GK-7 by intranasal administration did not result in toxicity in mice. This study revealed an easy-to-produce peptide inhibitor for SARS-CoV-2 spike blockade, thus providing a promising candidate for COVID-19 treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songling Han
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Gaomei Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Zhuanzhuan Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Yin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Jianqi Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Yongwu He
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Ying-Juan He
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Jining Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Shilei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Changhong Du
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Tao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Wei Sun
- Biomedical Analysis Center, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Yi Huang
- Biomedical Analysis Center, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Cheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China.
| | - Junping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China.
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11
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Awang T, Pongprayoon P. The penetration of human defensin 5 (HD5) through bacterial outer membrane: simulation studies. J Mol Model 2021; 27:291. [PMID: 34546425 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-021-04915-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Human α-defensin 5 (HD5) is one of cationic antimicrobial peptides which plays a crucial role in an innate immune system in human body. HD5 shows the killing activity against a broad spectrum of pathogenic bacteria by making a pore in a bacterial membrane and penetrating into a cytosol. Nonetheless, its pore-forming mechanisms remain unclear. Thus, in this work, the constant-velocity steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulation was used to simulate the permeation of a dimeric HD5 into a gram-negative lipopolysaccharide (LPS) membrane model. Arginine-rich HD5 is found to strongly interact with a LPS surface. Upon arrival, arginines on HD5 interact with lipid A head groups (a top part of LPS) and then drag these charged moieties down into a hydrophobic core resulting in the formation of water-filled pore. Although all arginines are found to interact with a membrane, Arg13 and Arg32 appear to play a dominant role in the HD5 adsorption on a gram-negative membrane. Furthermore, one chain of a dimeric HD5 is required for HD5 adhesion. The interactions of arginine-lipid A head groups play a major role in adhering a cationic HD5 on a membrane surface and retarding a HD5 passage in the meantime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tadsanee Awang
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Chatuchak, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand
| | - Prapasiri Pongprayoon
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Chatuchak, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand. .,Center for Advanced Studies in Nanotechnology for Chemical, Food and Agricultural Industries, KU Institute for Advanced Studies, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand.
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12
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Sandín D, Valle J, Chaves-Arquero B, Prats-Ejarque G, Larrosa MN, González-López JJ, Jiménez MÁ, Boix E, Andreu D, Torrent M. Rationally Modified Antimicrobial Peptides from the N-Terminal Domain of Human RNase 3 Show Exceptional Serum Stability. J Med Chem 2021; 64:11472-11482. [PMID: 34342438 PMCID: PMC8483441 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Multidrug
resistance against conventional antibiotics poses an
important threat to human health. In this context, antimicrobial peptides
(AMPs) have been extensively studied for their antibacterial activity
and promising results have been shown so far. However, AMPs tend to
be rather vulnerable to protease degradation, which offsets their
therapeutic appeal. Here, we demonstrate how replacing functional
residues in the antimicrobial region of human RNase 3—also
named eosinophil cationic protein—by non-natural amino acids
increases stability in human serum. These changes were also shown
to reduce the hemolytic effect of the peptides in general terms, whereas
the antimicrobial activity was reasonably preserved. Digestion profiles enabled us to design new peptides
with superior stability and lower toxicity that could become relevant
candidates to reach clinical stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Sandín
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
| | - Javier Valle
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Belén Chaves-Arquero
- Departamento de Química-Física Biológica, Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano (IQFR-CSIC), Serrano 119, Madrid 28006, Spain
| | - Guillem Prats-Ejarque
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
| | - María Nieves Larrosa
- Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona 08035, Spain.,Departament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
| | - Juan José González-López
- Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona 08035, Spain.,Departament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
| | - María Ángeles Jiménez
- Departamento de Química-Física Biológica, Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano (IQFR-CSIC), Serrano 119, Madrid 28006, Spain
| | - Ester Boix
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
| | - David Andreu
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Marc Torrent
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
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13
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Yu W, Ning N, Xue Y, Huang Y, Guo F, Li T, Yang B, Luo D, Sun Y, Li Z, Wang J, He Z, Cheng S, Zhang X, Wang H. A Chimeric Cationic Peptide Composed of Human β-Defensin 3 and Human β-Defensin 4 Exhibits Improved Antibacterial Activity and Salt Resistance. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:663151. [PMID: 34025617 PMCID: PMC8137984 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.663151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Human beta-defensins (hBDs) play an important role in the host defense against various microbes, showing different levels of antibacterial activity and salt resistance in vitro. It is of interest to investigate whether can chimeric hBD analogs enhanced antibacterial activity and salt resistance. In this study, we designed a chimeric human defensin, named H4, by combining sequences of human beta-defensin-3 (hBD-3) and human beta-defensin-4 (hBD-4), then evaluated its antibacterial activity, salt resistance, and cytotoxic effects. The result showed that the antibacterial activity of H4 against most tested strains, including Klebsiella pneumonia, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphyloccocus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Acinetobacter baumannii was significantly improved compared to that of hBD-3 and hBD-4. Notably, H4 exhibited significantly better antibacterial activity against multidrug resistant isolate A. baumannii MDR-ZJ06 than commonly used antibiotics. Chimeric H4 still showed more than 80% antibacterial activity at high salt concentration (150 μM), which proves its good salt tolerance. The cytotoxic effect assay showed that the toxicity of H4 to Hela, Vero, A549 cells and erythrocytes at a low dose (<10 μg/ml) was similar to that of hBD-3 and hBD-4. In conclusion, given its broad spectrum of antibacterial activity and high salt resistance, chimeric H4 could serve as a promising template for new therapeutic antimicrobial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Nianzhi Ning
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China.,College of Life Science, Ludong University, Yantai, China
| | - Yanyu Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Feng Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Boning Yang
- Department of Orthopedics, Henan University People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Deyan Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Yakun Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Zhan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Jianxin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Zhili He
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
| | - Shiwei Cheng
- College of Life Science, Ludong University, Yantai, China
| | - Xingxiao Zhang
- College of Life Science, Ludong University, Yantai, China
| | - Hui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, China
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14
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Wang C, Biok NA, Nayani K, Wang X, Yeon H, Derek Ma CK, Gellman SH, Abbott NL. Cationic Side Chain Identity Directs the Hydrophobically Driven Self-Assembly of Amphiphilic β-Peptides in Aqueous Solution. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:3288-3298. [PMID: 33683138 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c03255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Hydrophobic interactions mediated by nonpolar molecular fragments in water are influenced by local chemical and physical contexts in ways that are not yet fully understood. Here, we use globally amphiphilic (GA) β-peptides (GA-Lys and GA-Arg) with stable conformations to explore if replacement of β3-homolysine (βLys) with β3-homoarginine (βArg) influences the hydrophobically driven assembly of these peptides in bulk aqueous solution. The studies were conducted in 10 mM triethanolamine buffer at pH 7, where both βLys (ammonium) and βArg (guanidinium) side chains are substantially protonated. Comparisons of light scattering measurements and cryo-electron micrographs before and after the addition of 60 vol% MeOH indicate very different outcomes of the hydrophobically driven assembly of AcY-GA-Lys versus AcY-GA-Arg (AcY denotes an N-acetylated-β3-homotyrosine (βTyr) at each N-terminus). Nuclear magnetic resonance and analytical ultracentrifugation confirm that AcY-GA-Lys assembles into large aggregates in aqueous buffer, whereas AcY-GA-Arg at comparable concentrations forms only small oligomers. Titration of AcY-GA-Arg into aqueous solutions of AcY-GA-Lys reveals that the driving force for AcY-GA-Lys association is far stronger than that for AcY-GA-Arg association. We discuss these results in the light of past experimental observations involving single molecule force measurements with GA β-peptides and hydrophobically driven dimerization of conventional peptides that form a GA α-helix upon dimerization (but do not display the Lys versus Arg trend predicted by extrapolating from the earlier AFM studies with β-peptides). Overall, our results establish that the identity of proximal cationic groups, ammonium versus guanidinium, profoundly modulates the hydrophobically driven self-assembly of conformationally stable β-peptides in bulk aqueous solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenxuan Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison53706, Wisconsin, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison53706, Wisconsin, United States
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing100005, China
| | - Naomi A Biok
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison53706, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Karthik Nayani
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 1 Ho Plaza, Ithaca14853, New York, United States
| | - Xiaoguang Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison53706, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Hongseung Yeon
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison53706, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Chi-Kuen Derek Ma
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison53706, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Samuel H Gellman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison53706, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Nicholas L Abbott
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 1 Ho Plaza, Ithaca14853, New York, United States
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15
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He S, Yang Z, Yu W, Li J, Li Z, Wang J, Shan A. Systematically Studying the Optimal Amino Acid Distribution Patterns of the Amphiphilic Structure by Using the Ultrashort Amphiphiles. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:569118. [PMID: 33324358 PMCID: PMC7725003 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.569118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Amphipathicity has traditionally been considered to be essential for the de novo design or systematic optimization of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). However, the current research methods to study the relationship between amphiphilicity and antimicrobial activity are inappropriate, because the key parameters (hydrophobicity, positive charge, etc.) and secondary structure of AMPs are changed. To systematically and accurately study the effects of amphiphilicity on antimicrobial properties of AMPs, we designed parallel series of AMPs with a different order of amino acids in a sequence composed only of Arg and either Trp (WR series) or Leu (LR series), under conditions in which other vital parameters were fixed. Furthermore, based on the WR and LR peptides that can form stable amphiphilic β-sheet structures in the anionic membrane-mimetic environment, we found that high β-sheet amphipathic was accompanied by strong antimicrobial activity. Of such peptides, W5 ([RW]4W) and L5 ([RL]4L) with a nicely amphipathic β-sheet structure possessed the optimal therapeutic index. W5 and L5 also exhibited high stability in vitro and a potent membrane-disruptive mechanism. These results suggest that the alternate arrangement of hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues to form a stable amphipathic β-sheet structure is an essential factor that significantly affects the antimicrobial properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiqi He
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Zhanyi Yang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Weikang Yu
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Jiawei Li
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Zhongyu Li
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Jiajun Wang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Anshan Shan
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
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16
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Shang L, Li J, Song C, Nina Z, Li Q, Chou S, Wang Z, Shan A. Hybrid Antimicrobial Peptide Targeting Staphylococcus aureus and Displaying Anti-infective Activity in a Murine Model. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1767. [PMID: 33042031 PMCID: PMC7516806 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) kill bacteria indiscriminately, increasing the possibility of an ecological imbalance in the microbiota. To solve this problem, new types of AMPs, which kill pathogenic bacteria without breaking the micro-ecological balance of the body, were proposed. Here, we successfully designed a targeting AMP, S2, which is a fusion peptide composed of a species-specific targeting domain and broad-spectrum AMP domain. In the current study, S2 showed specific killing activity against Staphylococcus aureus, and almost no resistance induced compared to penicillin. Mechanism studies indicated that S2 killed S. aureus by destroying the bacterial membrane. Meanwhile, S2 possessed excellent salt-tolerance properties and biocompatibility. Importantly, S2 exhibited perfect treatment efficacy against an S. aureus subcutaneous infection model and remained nontoxic. In conclusion, this study provides a promising strategy for designing specific AMPs against growing bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Shang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Jiawei Li
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Chunsheng Song
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Zaytseva Nina
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Qiuke Li
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Shuli Chou
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Zhihua Wang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Anshan Shan
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
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17
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D'Souza A, Yoon JH, Beaman H, Gosavi P, Lengyel-Zhand Z, Sternisha A, Centola G, Marshall LR, Wehrman MD, Schultz KM, Monroe MB, Makhlynets OV. Nine-Residue Peptide Self-Assembles in the Presence of Silver to Produce a Self-Healing, Cytocompatible, Antimicrobial Hydrogel. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:17091-17099. [PMID: 32154701 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c01154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Silver compounds have been used extensively for wound healing because of their antimicrobial properties, but high concentrations of silver are toxic to mammalian cells. We designed a peptide that binds silver and releases only small amounts of this ion over time, therefore overcoming the problem of silver toxicity. Silver binding was achieved through incorporation of an unnatural amino acid, 3'-pyridyl alanine (3'-PyA), into the peptide sequence. Upon the addition of silver ions, the peptide adopts a beta-sheet secondary structure and self-assembles into a strong hydrogel as characterized by rheology, circular dichroism, and transmission electron microscopy. We show that the resulting hydrogel kills Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus but is not toxic to fibroblasts and could be used for wound healing. The amount of Ag(I) released by hydrogels into the solution is less than 4% and this low amount of Ag(I) does not change in the pH range 6-8. These studies provide an initial indication for use of the designed hydrogel as injectable, antimicrobial wound dressing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Areetha D'Souza
- Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, 111 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
| | - Jennifer H Yoon
- Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, 111 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
| | - Henry Beaman
- Biomedical & Chemical Engineering, Syracuse University, 318 Bowne Hall, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
| | - Pallavi Gosavi
- Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, 111 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
| | - Zsofia Lengyel-Zhand
- Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, 111 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
| | - Alex Sternisha
- Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, 111 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
| | - Garrick Centola
- Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, 111 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
| | - Liam R Marshall
- Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, 111 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
| | - Matthew D Wehrman
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Iacocca Hall, 111 Research Drive, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
| | - Kelly M Schultz
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Iacocca Hall, 111 Research Drive, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
| | - Mary Beth Monroe
- Biomedical & Chemical Engineering, Syracuse University, 318 Bowne Hall, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
| | - Olga V Makhlynets
- Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, 111 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
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18
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19
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Biok NA, Passow AD, Wang C, Bingman CA, Abbott NL, Gellman SH. Retention of Coiled-Coil Dimer Formation in the Absence of Ion Pairing at Positions Flanking the Hydrophobic Core. Biochemistry 2019; 58:4821-4826. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b00668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Naomi A. Biok
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin—Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Alexander D. Passow
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin—Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Chenxuan Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin—Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin—Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Craig A. Bingman
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin—Madison, 440 Henry Mall, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Nicholas L. Abbott
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin—Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 1 Ho Plaza, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Samuel H. Gellman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin—Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
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20
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Antimicrobial peptide ROAD-1 triggers phase change in local membrane environment to execute its activity. J Mol Model 2019; 25:281. [PMID: 31468141 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-019-4163-8] [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: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens has paved way for development of newer class of drugs that would not be susceptible to resistance. Antimicrobial peptides such as defensins that target the microbial membrane are promising candidates. ROAD-1 is an alpha-defensin present in the oral cavity of rhesus macaque and shares very high sequence similarity to human enteric defensin 5. In this study we have performed microsecond long all atom molecular dynamic simulations to understand the mechanism of action of ROAD-1. We find that ROAD-1 is able to adopt an energetically stable conformation predominantly stabilized by electrostatic interactions only in presence of bacterial membranes. In mammalian membrane even though it gets absorbed onto the bilayer, it is unable to adopt an equilibrium conformation. Binding of ROAD-1 to bilayer induces clustering of POPG molecules up to 15 Å around the peptide. POPG molecules show higher order parameters than the neighboring POPE implying coexistence of different phases. Analysis of binding free energy of ROAD-1-membrane complex indicates Arg1, Arg2, Arg7, and Arg25 to play key role in its antimicrobial activity. Unlike its homolog HD5, ROAD-1 is not observed to form a dimer. Our study gives insight into the membrane-bound conformation of ROAD-1 and its mechanism of action that can aid in designing defensin-based therapeutics. Graphical abstract Antimicrobial peptide ROAD-1 adopts a different membrane-bound conformation as compared with HD5 even though they belong to the same family implying a different mechanism of action.
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21
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Malin JJ, de Leeuw E. Therapeutic compounds targeting Lipid II for antibacterial purposes. Infect Drug Resist 2019; 12:2613-2625. [PMID: 31692545 PMCID: PMC6711568 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s215070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Resistance against commonly used antibiotics has emerged in all bacterial pathogens. In fact, there is no antibiotic currently in clinical use against which resistance has not been reported. In particular, rapidly increasing urbanization in developing nations are sites of major concern. Additionally, the widespread practice by physicians to prescribe antibiotics in cases of viral infections puts selective pressure on antibiotics that still remain effective and it will only be a matter of time before resistance develops on a large scale. The biosynthesis pathway of the bacterial cell wall is well studied and a validated target for the development of antibacterial agents. Cell wall biosynthesis involves two major processes; 1) the biosynthesis of cell wall teichoic acids and 2) the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan. Key molecules in these pathways, including enzymes and precursor molecules are attractive targets for the development of novel antibacterial agents. In this review, we will focus on the major class of natural antibacterial compounds that target the peptidoglycan precursor molecule Lipid II; namely the glycopeptides, including the novel generation of lipoglycopeptides. We will discuss their mechanism-of-action and clinical applications. Further, we will briefly discuss additional peptides that target Lipid II such as the lantibiotic nisin and defensins. We will highlight recent developments and future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob J Malin
- University of Cologne, Department I of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Cologne, Germany.,Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Erik de Leeuw
- Institute of Human Virology and Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry of the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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22
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Chen F, Tang Y, Zheng H, Xu Y, Wang J, Wang C. Roles of the Conserved Amino Acid Residues in Reduced Human Defensin 5: Cysteine and Arginine Are Indispensable for Its Antibacterial Action and LPS Neutralization. ChemMedChem 2019; 14:1457-1465. [DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201900282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Fang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive MedicineThird Military Medical University Chongqing 400038 China
| | - Yong Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive MedicineThird Military Medical University Chongqing 400038 China
| | - Hong Zheng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Xinqiao HospitalThird Military Medical University Chongqing 400037 China
| | - Yang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive MedicineThird Military Medical University Chongqing 400038 China
| | - Junping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive MedicineThird Military Medical University Chongqing 400038 China
| | - Cheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive MedicineThird Military Medical University Chongqing 400038 China
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23
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Schaduangrat N, Nantasenamat C, Prachayasittikul V, Shoombuatong W. ACPred: A Computational Tool for the Prediction and Analysis of Anticancer Peptides. Molecules 2019; 24:E1973. [PMID: 31121946 PMCID: PMC6571645 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24101973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Anticancer peptides (ACPs) have emerged as a new class of therapeutic agent for cancer treatment due to their lower toxicity as well as greater efficacy, selectivity and specificity when compared to conventional small molecule drugs. However, the experimental identification of ACPs still remains a time-consuming and expensive endeavor. Therefore, it is desirable to develop and improve upon existing computational models for predicting and characterizing ACPs. In this study, we present a bioinformatics tool called the ACPred, which is an interpretable tool for the prediction and characterization of the anticancer activities of peptides. ACPred was developed by utilizing powerful machine learning models (support vector machine and random forest) and various classes of peptide features. It was observed by a jackknife cross-validation test that ACPred can achieve an overall accuracy of 95.61% in identifying ACPs. In addition, analysis revealed the following distinguishing characteristics that ACPs possess: (i) hydrophobic residue enhances the cationic properties of α-helical ACPs resulting in better cell penetration; (ii) the amphipathic nature of the α-helical structure plays a crucial role in its mechanism of cytotoxicity; and (iii) the formation of disulfide bridges on β-sheets is vital for structural maintenance which correlates with its ability to kill cancer cells. Finally, for the convenience of experimental scientists, the ACPred web server was established and made freely available online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nalini Schaduangrat
- Center of Data Mining and Biomedical Informatics, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
| | - Chanin Nantasenamat
- Center of Data Mining and Biomedical Informatics, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
| | - Virapong Prachayasittikul
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
| | - Watshara Shoombuatong
- Center of Data Mining and Biomedical Informatics, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
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24
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Yang Z, He S, Wang J, Yang Y, Zhang L, Li Y, Shan A. Rational Design of Short Peptide Variants by Using Kunitzin-RE, an Amphibian-Derived Bioactivity Peptide, for Acquired Potent Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial and Improved Therapeutic Potential of Commensalism Coinfection of Pathogens. J Med Chem 2019; 62:4586-4605. [PMID: 30958004 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b00149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Commensalism coinfection of pathogens has seriously jeopardized human health. Currently, Kunitzin-RE, as an amphibian-derived bioactivity peptide, is regarded as a potential antimicrobial candidate. However, its antimicrobial properties were unsatisfactory. In this study, a set of shortened variants of Kunitzin-RE was developed by the interception of a peptide fragment and single-site mutation to investigate the effect of chain length, positive charge, hydrophobicity, amphipathicity, and secondary structure on antimicrobial properties. Among them, W8 (AARIILRWRFR) significantly broadened the antimicrobial spectrum and showed the highest antimicrobial activity (GMall = 2.48 μM) against all the fungi and bacteria tested. Additionally, W8 showed high cell selectivity and salt tolerance in vitro, whereas it showed high effectiveness against mice keratitis cause by infection by C. albicans 2.2086. Additionally, it also had obviously lipopolysaccharide-binding ability and a potent membrane-disruptive mechanism. Overall, these findings contributed to the design of short antimicrobial peptides and to combat the serious threat of commensalism coinfection of pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanyi Yang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition , Northeast Agricultural University , Harbin 150030 , P. R. China
| | - Shiqi He
- Institute of Animal Nutrition , Northeast Agricultural University , Harbin 150030 , P. R. China
| | - Jiajun Wang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition , Northeast Agricultural University , Harbin 150030 , P. R. China
| | - Yi Yang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition , Northeast Agricultural University , Harbin 150030 , P. R. China
| | - Licong Zhang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition , Northeast Agricultural University , Harbin 150030 , P. R. China
| | - Yanbing Li
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine , Bayi Agricultural University , Daqing 163000 , P. R. China
| | - Anshan Shan
- Institute of Animal Nutrition , Northeast Agricultural University , Harbin 150030 , P. R. China
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25
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Mant CT, Jiang Z, Gera L, Davis T, Nelson KL, Bevers S, Hodges RS. De Novo Designed Amphipathic α-Helical Antimicrobial Peptides Incorporating Dab and Dap Residues on the Polar Face To Treat the Gram-Negative Pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii. J Med Chem 2019; 62:3354-3366. [PMID: 30848594 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
We have designed de novo and synthesized ten 26-residue D-conformation amphipathic α-helical cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), seven with "specificity determinants", which provide specificity for prokaryotic cells over eukaryotic cells. The ten AMPs contain five or six positively charged residues (d-Arg, d-Lys, d-Orn, l-Dab, or l-Dap) on the polar face to understand their role in hemolytic activity against human red blood cells and antimicrobial activity against seven Acinetobacter baumannii strains, resistant to polymyxin B and colistin, and 20 A. baumannii worldwide isolates from 2016 and 2017 with antibiotic resistance to 18 different antibiotics. AMPs with specificity determinants and with l-Dab and l-Dap residues on the polar face have essentially no hemolytic activity at 1000 μg/mL (380 μM), showing for the first time the importance of these unusual amino acid residues in solving long-standing hemolysis issues of AMPs. Specificity determinants maintained excellent antimicrobial activity in the presence of human sera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin T Mant
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine , University of Colorado , Anschutz Medical Campus , Aurora , Colorado 80045 , United States
| | - Ziqing Jiang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine , University of Colorado , Anschutz Medical Campus , Aurora , Colorado 80045 , United States
| | - Lajos Gera
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine , University of Colorado , Anschutz Medical Campus , Aurora , Colorado 80045 , United States
| | - Tim Davis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine , University of Colorado , Anschutz Medical Campus , Aurora , Colorado 80045 , United States
| | | | - Shaun Bevers
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine , University of Colorado , Anschutz Medical Campus , Aurora , Colorado 80045 , United States
| | - Robert S Hodges
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine , University of Colorado , Anschutz Medical Campus , Aurora , Colorado 80045 , United States
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Wang J, Song J, Yang Z, He S, Yang Y, Feng X, Dou X, Shan A. Antimicrobial Peptides with High Proteolytic Resistance for Combating Gram-Negative Bacteria. J Med Chem 2019; 62:2286-2304. [PMID: 30742437 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Poor proteolytic resistance is an urgent problem to be solved in the clinical application of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), yet common solutions, such as complicated chemical modifications and utilization of d-amino acids, greatly increase the difficulty and cost of producing AMPs. In this work, a set of novel peptides was synthesized based on an antitrypsin/antichymotrypsin hydrolytic peptide structure unit (XYPX) n (X represents I, L, and V; Y represents R and K), which was designed using a systematic natural amino acid arrangement. Of these peptides, 16 with seven repeat units had the highest average selectivity index (GMSI = 99.07) for all of the Gram-negative bacteria tested and remained highly effective in combating Escherichia coli infection in vivo. Importantly, 16 also had dramatic resistance to a high concentration of trypsin/chymotrypsin hydrolysis and exerted bactericidal activity through a membrane-disruptive mechanism. Overall, these findings provide new approaches for the development of antiprotease hydrolytic peptides that target Gram-negative bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajun Wang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition , Northeast Agricultural University , Harbin 150030 , P. R. China
| | - Jing Song
- Institute of Animal Nutrition , Northeast Agricultural University , Harbin 150030 , P. R. China
| | - Zhanyi Yang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition , Northeast Agricultural University , Harbin 150030 , P. R. China
| | - Shiqi He
- Institute of Animal Nutrition , Northeast Agricultural University , Harbin 150030 , P. R. China
| | - Yi Yang
- Institute of Animal Nutrition , Northeast Agricultural University , Harbin 150030 , P. R. China
| | - Xingjun Feng
- Institute of Animal Nutrition , Northeast Agricultural University , Harbin 150030 , P. R. China
| | - Xiujing Dou
- Institute of Animal Nutrition , Northeast Agricultural University , Harbin 150030 , P. R. China
| | - Anshan Shan
- Institute of Animal Nutrition , Northeast Agricultural University , Harbin 150030 , P. R. China
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27
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Hu H, Di B, Tolbert WD, Gohain N, Yuan W, Gao P, Ma B, He Q, Pazgier M, Zhao L, Lu W. Systematic mutational analysis of human neutrophil α-defensin HNP4. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2019; 1861:835-844. [PMID: 30658057 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2019.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2018] [Revised: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Defensins are a family of cationic antimicrobial peptides of innate immunity with immunomodulatory properties. The prototypic human α-defensins, also known as human neutrophil peptides 1-3 or HNP1-3, are extensively studied for their structure, function and mechanisms of action, yet little is known about HNP4 - the much less abundant "distant cousin" of HNP1-3. Here we report a systematic mutational analysis of HNP4 with respect to its antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, inhibitory activity against anthrax lethal factor (LF), and binding activity for LF and HIV-1 gp120. Except for nine conserved and structurally important residues (6xCys, 1xArg, 1xGlu and 1xGly), the remaining 24 residues of HNP4 were each individually mutated to Ala. The crystal structures of G23A-HNP4 and T27A-HNP4 were determined, both exhibiting a disulfide-stabilized canonical α-defensin dimer identical to wild-type HNP4. Unlike HNP1-3, HNP4 preferentially killed the Gram-negative bacterium, a property largely attributable to three clustered cationic residues Arg10, Arg11 and Arg15. The cationic cluster was also important for HNP4 killing of S. aureus, inhibition of LF and binding to LF and gp120. However, F26A, while functionally inconsequential for E. coli killing, was far more deleterious than any other mutations. Similarly, N-methylation of Leu20 to destabilize the HNP4 dimer had little effect on E. coli killing, but significantly reduced the ability of HNP4 to kill S. aureus, inhibit LF, and bind to LF and gp120. Our findings unveil the molecular determinants of HNP4 function, completing the atlas of structure and function relationships for all human neutrophil α-defensins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Hu
- Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China; Institute of Human Virology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Bin Di
- Institute of Human Virology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - William D Tolbert
- Institute of Human Virology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Neelakshi Gohain
- Institute of Human Virology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Weirong Yuan
- Institute of Human Virology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Pan Gao
- Institute of Human Virology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Bohan Ma
- Institute of Human Virology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Qigai He
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Marzena Pazgier
- Institute of Human Virology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
| | - Le Zhao
- Center for Translational Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Wuyuan Lu
- Institute of Human Virology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
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28
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Yang CH, Chen YC, Peng SY, Tsai APY, Lee TJF, Yen JH, Liou JW. An engineered arginine-rich α-helical antimicrobial peptide exhibits broad-spectrum bactericidal activity against pathogenic bacteria and reduces bacterial infections in mice. Sci Rep 2018; 8:14602. [PMID: 30279591 PMCID: PMC6168480 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32981-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The increase in the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has become a major public health concern. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are emerging as promising candidates addressing this issue. In this study, we designed several AMPs by increasing α-helical contents and positive charges and optimizing hydrophobicity and amphipathicity in the Sushi 1 peptide from horseshoe crabs. A neural network–based bioinformatic prediction tool was used for the first stage evaluations of peptide properties. Among the peptides designed, Sushi-replacement peptide (SRP)-2, an arginine-rich and highly α-helical peptide, showed broad-spectrum bactericidal activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii; nevertheless, it showed little hemolytic and cytotoxic activity against mammalian cells. Atomic force microscopy results indicated that SRP-2 should interact directly with cell membrane components, resulting in bacterial cell death. SRP-2 also neutralized LPS-induced macrophage activation. Moreover, in an intraperitoneal multidrug-resistant A. baumannii infection mouse model, SRP-2 successfully reduced the bacterial number in ascitic fluid and tumor necrosis factor-α production. Our study findings demonstrate that bioinformatic calculations can be powerful tools to help design potent AMPs and that arginine is superior to lysine for providing positive charges for AMPs to exhibit better bactericidal activity and selectivity against bacterial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chin-Hao Yang
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Cheng Chen
- Department of Medicine, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Yi Peng
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Andy Po-Yi Tsai
- Ph.D. Program in Translational Medicine, Tzu Chi University/Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tony Jer-Fu Lee
- Department of Medical Research, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan.,Department of Pharmacology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL, USA
| | - Jui-Hung Yen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Je-Wen Liou
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan. .,Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan.
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29
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The potency of the broad spectrum bacteriocin, bactofencin A, against staphylococci is highly dependent on primary structure, N-terminal charge and disulphide formation. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11833. [PMID: 30087409 PMCID: PMC6081437 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-30271-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Bactofencin A is a novel class IId bacteriocin, produced by the intestinal isolate Lactobacillus salivarius DPC6502, which has potent activity against medically significant pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus. This bacteriocin is unusual in that it has a highly cationic N terminus and a single disulfide bond between Cys7 and Cys22, resulting in a large C terminal loop. In this study, a library of synthetic bactofencin A variants were screened against the mastitis isolate, S. aureus DPC5246, to identify key residues responsible for activity. It was apparent that substituting either cysteine of the disulfide bond with either serine or alanine significantly reduced the activity of the bacteriocin, confirming the importance of the C terminal loop. Substituting N terminal amino acids with alanine had no effect on activity, whereas sequential removal of the N terminal positively charged residues resulted in an increasingly inactive peptide. A complete (synthetic) alanine scanning analysis revealed that the residues between Val9 and Gly17 were most affected by substitution suggesting that this area has a major influence on the potency of the bacteriocin. Substituting residues in the loop region between Cys7 and Cys22 for D-amino acid equivalents had a more detrimental effect on activity than L-alanine substitutions. Specifically Y10A, N11A, P15A and T16A are active at 4, 16, 1 and 16 μM respectively while their D equivalents were inactive at 1000 μM, the highest concentration tested. Ultimately, this study identifies the critical features in the primary structure of the bacteriocin which gives it such potent activity against pathogenic staphylococci.
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30
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Heredero-Bermejo I, Hernández-Ros JM, Sánchez-García L, Maly M, Verdú-Expósito C, Soliveri J, Javier de la Mata F, Copa-Patiño JL, Pérez-Serrano J, Sánchez-Nieves J, Gómez R. Ammonium and guanidine carbosilane dendrimers and dendrons as microbicides. Eur Polym J 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2018.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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31
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A Simplified Derivative of Human Defensin 5 with Potent and Efficient Activity against Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2018; 62:AAC.01504-17. [PMID: 29158275 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01504-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/04/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The increasing incidence of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDRAb) infections worldwide has necessitated the development of novel antibiotics. Human defensin 5 (HD5) is an endogenous peptide with a complex architecture and antibacterial activity against MDRAb In the present study, we attempted to simplify the structure of HD5 by removing disulfide bonds. We found that the Cys2-4 bond was most indispensable for HD5 to inactivate MDRAb, although the antibacterial activity of the derivative was significantly attenuated. We then replaced the noncationic and nonhydrophobic residues with electropositive Arg to increase the antibacterial activity of HD5 derivative that contains a Cys2-4 bond, obtaining another derivative termed HD5d5. The in vitro antibacterial assay and irradiation-wound-infection animal experiment both showed that HD5d5 was much more effective than HD5 at eliminating MDRAb Further investigations revealed that HD5d5 efficiently bound to outer membrane lipid A and penetrated membranes, leading to bacterial collapse and peptide translocation. Compared to HD5, more HD5d5 molecules were located in the cytoplasm of MDRAb, and HD5d5 was more efficient at reducing the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, causing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species that are detrimental to microbes. In addition, HD5 failed to suppress the pathogenic outer membrane protein A of Acinetobacter baumannii (AbOmpA) at concentrations up to 50 μg/ml, whereas HD5d5 strongly bound to AbOmpA and exhibited a dramatic toxin-neutralizing ability, thus expanding the repertoire of drugs that is available to treat MDRAb infections.
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32
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Kudryashova E, Seveau SM, Kudryashov DS. Targeting and inactivation of bacterial toxins by human defensins. Biol Chem 2017; 398:1069-1085. [PMID: 28593905 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2017-0106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Defensins, as a prominent family of antimicrobial peptides (AMP), are major effectors of the innate immunity with a broad range of immune modulatory and antimicrobial activities. In particular, defensins are the only recognized fast-response molecules that can neutralize a broad range of bacterial toxins, many of which are among the deadliest compounds on the planet. For a decade, the mystery of how a small and structurally conserved group of peptides can neutralize a heterogeneous group of toxins with little to no sequential and structural similarity remained unresolved. Recently, it was found that defensins recognize and target structural plasticity/thermodynamic instability, fundamental physicochemical properties that unite many bacterial toxins and distinguish them from the majority of host proteins. Binding of human defensins promotes local unfolding of the affected toxins, destabilizes their secondary and tertiary structures, increases susceptibility to proteolysis, and leads to their precipitation. While the details of toxin destabilization by defensins remain obscure, here we briefly review properties and activities of bacterial toxins known to be affected by or resilient to defensins, and discuss how recognized features of defensins correlate with the observed inactivation.
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Kang W, Liu H, Ma L, Wang M, Wei S, Sun P, Jiang M, Guo M, Zhou C, Dou J. Effective antimicrobial activity of a peptide mutant Cbf-14-2 against penicillin-resistant bacteria based on its unnatural amino acids. Eur J Pharm Sci 2017; 105:169-177. [PMID: 28522372 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2017.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Revised: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Broad spectrum activities, a unique mode of actions and rare resistant variants make antimicrobial peptide (AMP) a potential alternative to antibiotics. However, AMPs still have limitations in clinical development due to their physiological stability, toxicity and manufacturing costs. Cbf-14, derived from cathelicidin-BF has been proven to be effective against drug-resistant bacteria. Herein, a series of Cbf-14 mutants were designed to overcome these limitations. Design strategies included substitutions of lysine (Lys) or leucine (Leu) with similar residues such as ornithine (Orn) and norleucine (Ile), which are unnatural amino acids, to generate AMPs with enhanced therapeutic potential. Antimicrobial activity, hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity against mouse spleen cells of the peptide mutants were investigated. Among all of the mutants, Cbf-14-2 was regarded as the most potent candidate with the amino acid sequence of RLLR-Orn-FFR-Orn-LKKSV-NH2, which exhibited a superior antimicrobial activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 4-32μg/ml. Meanwhile, Cbf-14-2 displayed low levels of hemolysis in sheep red blood cells (sRBCs) and negligible cytotoxicity against mouse spleen cells, suggesting low toxicity against mammalian cells. A circular dichroism (CD) study indicated that Cbf-14-2 has a higher alpha-helix content than Cbf-14 (68.3% vs 35.1%) in SDS, which may contribute to its superior activity. Time-killing curves showed Cbf-14-2 can eliminate all tested bacteria within 240min, suggesting its rapid bactericidal effect. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), flow cytometry and calcein release assays revealed its excellent antimicrobial potency by inducing membrane permeation and disruption. In addition, Cbf-14-2 (10mg/kg) could significantly elevate the survival rate of clinical strain infected mice, with a survival rate of 70.0%. Taken together, the data suggest that Cbf-14-2 possesses effective antimicrobial activity against penicillin-resistant bacteria in vitro and in vitro, thus rendering it as a potential anti-infective agent in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Hanhan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Lingman Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Mengxiao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Shanshan Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Pengbo Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Meiling Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Min Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China
| | - Changlin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China.
| | - Jie Dou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, PR China.
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Taniguchi M, Ochiai A. Characterization and production of multifunctional cationic peptides derived from rice proteins. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2017; 81:634-650. [DOI: 10.1080/09168451.2016.1277944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Food proteins have been identified as a source of bioactive peptides. These peptides are inactive within the sequence of the parent protein and must be released during gastrointestinal digestion, fermentation, or food processing. Of bioactive peptides, multifunctional cationic peptides are more useful than other peptides that have specific activity in promotion of health and/or the treatment of diseases. We have identified and characterized cationic peptides from rice enzymes and proteins that possess multiple functions, including antimicrobial, endotoxin-neutralizing, arginine gingipain-inhibitory, and/or angiogenic activities. In particular, we have elucidated the contribution of cationic amino acids (arginine and lysine) in the peptides to their bioactivities. Further, we have discussed the critical parameters, particularly proteinase preparations and fractionation or purification, in the enzymatic hydrolysis process for producing bioactive peptides from food proteins. Using an ampholyte-free isoelectric focusing (autofocusing) technique as a tool for fractionation, we successfully prepared fractions containing cationic peptides with multiple functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Taniguchi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
- Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Akihito Ochiai
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
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35
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González-Henríquez CM, Sarabia-Vallejos MA, Rodriguez-Hernandez J. Advances in the Fabrication of Antimicrobial Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2017; 10:E232. [PMID: 28772591 PMCID: PMC5503311 DOI: 10.3390/ma10030232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2017] [Revised: 02/07/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
This review describes, in an organized manner, the recent developments in the elaboration of hydrogels that possess antimicrobial activity. The fabrication of antibacterial hydrogels for biomedical applications that permits cell adhesion and proliferation still remains as an interesting challenge, in particular for tissue engineering applications. In this context, a large number of studies has been carried out in the design of hydrogels that serve as support for antimicrobial agents (nanoparticles, antibiotics, etc.). Another interesting approach is to use polymers with inherent antimicrobial activity provided by functional groups contained in their structures, such as quaternary ammonium salt or hydrogels fabricated from antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) or natural polymers, such as chitosan. A summary of the different alternatives employed for this purpose is described in this review, considering their advantages and disadvantages. Finally, more recent methodologies that lead to more sophisticated hydrogels that are able to react to external stimuli are equally depicted in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen M González-Henríquez
- Departamento de Química, Matemáticas y del Medio Ambiente, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana, P.O. Box 9845, Correo 21, Santiago 7800003, Chile.
| | - Mauricio A Sarabia-Vallejos
- Departamento de Ingeniería Estructural y Geotecnia, Escuela de Ingeniería, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, P.O. Box 306, Correo 22, Santiago 7820436, Chile.
| | - Juan Rodriguez-Hernandez
- Departamento de Química y Propiedades de Polímeros, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ICTP-CSIC), Juan de la Cierva 3, Madrid 28006, Spain.
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Taniguchi M, Ochiai A, Toyoda R, Sato T, Saitoh E, Kato T, Tanaka T. Effects of arginine and leucine substitutions on anti-endotoxic activities and mechanisms of action of cationic and amphipathic antimicrobial octadecapeptide from rice α
-amylase. J Pept Sci 2017; 23:252-260. [DOI: 10.1002/psc.2983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Revised: 01/11/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Taniguchi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology; Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
- Center for Transdisciplinary Research; Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Akihito Ochiai
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology; Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Ryu Toyoda
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology; Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Teppei Sato
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology; Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Eiichi Saitoh
- Graduate School of Technology; Niigata Institute of Technology; Niigata 945-1195 Japan
| | - Tetsuo Kato
- Department of Chemistry; Tokyo Dental College; Tokyo 101-0062 Japan
| | - Takaaki Tanaka
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology; Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
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Montero-Alejo V, Corzo G, Porro-Suardíaz J, Pardo-Ruiz Z, Perera E, Rodríguez-Viera L, Sánchez-Díaz G, Hernández-Rodríguez EW, Álvarez C, Peigneur S, Tytgat J, Perdomo-Morales R. Panusin represents a new family of β-defensin-like peptides in invertebrates. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2017; 67:310-321. [PMID: 27616720 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2016.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Revised: 09/05/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Beta_defensin have been solely found in vertebrates until β-defensin-like peptides were described as transcript isoforms in two species of Panulirus genus. They were considered as putative antimicrobials since their biological activity have not been demonstrated. Here we purified and characterized a defensin-like peptide from the hemocytes of spiny lobster P. argus, hereafter named panusin. Structurally, panusin presents a cysteine-stabilized α/β motif, and is prone to form homodimers. Biological activity of panusin showed broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, characterized for being strikingly salt-resistant. Panusin did not showed hemolytic activity but was demonstrated its binding capacity to different lipid membrane models, indicating amphipathicity of β-sheet core as driving force for its antimicrobial activity. Panusin is considered a new kind of arthropod defensin which share structural and biological features with beta-defensin from vertebrates. The presence of beta-defensin like peptides in crustacean might suggest the emergence of the evolutionary relationship of β-defensins from vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivian Montero-Alejo
- Biochemistry Department, Center for Pharmaceuticals Research and Development, Havana, Cuba.
| | - Gerardo Corzo
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | - Javier Porro-Suardíaz
- Biochemistry Department, Center for Pharmaceuticals Research and Development, Havana, Cuba
| | - Zenia Pardo-Ruiz
- Biochemistry Department, Center for Pharmaceuticals Research and Development, Havana, Cuba
| | - Erick Perera
- Department of Fish Physiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Aquaculture Torre de la Sal (IATS-CSIC), Castellón, Spain
| | | | - Gabriela Sánchez-Díaz
- Department for Basic and Biomedical Sciences, Medicine Faculty, Artemisa, Cuba; Laboratory of Computational and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Havana, Havana, Cuba
| | - Erix Wiliam Hernández-Rodríguez
- Department for Basic and Biomedical Sciences, Medicine Faculty, Artemisa, Cuba; Laboratory of Computational and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Havana, Havana, Cuba
| | - Carlos Álvarez
- Center for Protein Studies, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Havana, Cuba
| | - Steve Peigneur
- Toxicology and Pharmacology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Tytgat
- Toxicology and Pharmacology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
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α-Defensin HD5 Inhibits Human Papillomavirus 16 Infection via Capsid Stabilization and Redirection to the Lysosome. mBio 2017; 8:mBio.02304-16. [PMID: 28119475 PMCID: PMC5263252 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02304-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
α-Defensins are an important class of abundant innate immune effectors that are potently antiviral against a number of nonenveloped viral pathogens; however, a common mechanism to explain their ability to block infection by these unrelated viruses is lacking. We previously found that human defensin 5 (HD5) blocks a critical host-mediated proteolytic processing step required for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Here, we show that bypassing the requirement for this cleavage failed to abrogate HD5 inhibition. Instead, HD5 altered HPV trafficking in the cell. In the presence of an inhibitory concentration of HD5, HPV was internalized and reached the early endosome. The internalized capsid became permeable to antibodies and proteases; however, HD5 prevented dissociation of the viral capsid from the genome, reduced viral trafficking to the trans-Golgi network, redirected the incoming viral particle to the lysosome, and accelerated the degradation of internalized capsid proteins. This mechanism is equivalent to the mechanism by which HD5 inhibits human adenovirus. Thus, our data support capsid stabilization and redirection to the lysosome during infection as a general antiviral mechanism of α-defensins against nonenveloped viruses. IMPORTANCE Although the antiviral activity of α-defensins against enveloped viruses can be largely explained by interference with receptor binding and fusion, a common mechanism for inhibition of nonenveloped viruses remains elusive. In studies of a prominent human α-defensin that is expressed in the gut and in the male and female genitourinary tract, we discovered striking parallels between the mechanisms of inhibition of HPV and human adenovirus infection. Thus, detailed studies of the impact of α-defensins on the intracellular trafficking of two disparate viruses support a general mechanism of α-defensin antiviral activity against nonenveloped viruses.
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Taniguchi M, Ochiai A, Takahashi K, Nakamichi SI, Nomoto T, Saitoh E, Kato T, Tanaka T. Antimicrobial activity against Porphyromonas gingivalis and mechanism of action of the cationic octadecapeptide AmyI-1-18 and its amino acid-substituted analogs. J Biosci Bioeng 2016; 122:652-659. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2016.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2016] [Revised: 05/27/2016] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Thermodynamic instability of viral proteins is a pathogen-associated molecular pattern targeted by human defensins. Sci Rep 2016; 6:32499. [PMID: 27581352 PMCID: PMC5007486 DOI: 10.1038/srep32499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Human defensins are innate immune defense peptides with a remarkably broad repertoire of anti-pathogen activities. In addition to modulating immune response, inflammation, and angiogenesis, disintegrating bacterial membranes, and inactivating bacterial toxins, defensins are known to intercept various viruses at different stages of their life cycles, while remaining relatively benign towards human cells and proteins. Recently we have found that human defensins inactivate proteinaceous bacterial toxins by taking advantage of their low thermodynamic stability and acting as natural “anti-chaperones”, i.e. destabilizing the native conformation of the toxins. In the present study we tested various proteins produced by several viruses (HIV-1, PFV, and TEV) and found them to be susceptible to destabilizing effects of human α-defensins HNP-1 and HD-5 and the synthetic θ-defensin RC-101, but not β-defensins hBD-1 and hBD-2 or structurally related plant-derived peptides. Defensin-induced unfolding promoted exposure of hydrophobic groups otherwise confined to the core of the viral proteins. This resulted in precipitation, an enhanced susceptibility to proteolytic cleavage, and a loss of viral protein activities. We propose, that defensins recognize and target a common and essential physico-chemical property shared by many bacterial toxins and viral proteins – the intrinsically low thermodynamic protein stability.
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Brook M, Tomlinson GH, Miles K, Smith RWP, Rossi AG, Hiemstra PS, van 't Wout EFA, Dean JLE, Gray NK, Lu W, Gray M. Neutrophil-derived alpha defensins control inflammation by inhibiting macrophage mRNA translation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:4350-5. [PMID: 27044108 PMCID: PMC4843457 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1601831113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Neutrophils are the first and most numerous cells to arrive at the site of an inflammatory insult and are among the first to die. We previously reported that alpha defensins, released from apoptotic human neutrophils, augmented the antimicrobial capacity of macrophages while also inhibiting the biosynthesis of proinflammatory cytokines. In vivo, alpha defensin administration protected mice from inflammation, induced by thioglychollate-induced peritonitis or following infection withSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium. We have now dissected the antiinflammatory mechanism of action of the most abundant neutrophil alpha defensin, Human Neutrophil Peptide 1 (HNP1). Herein we show that HNP1 enters macrophages and inhibits protein translation without inducing the unfolded-protein response or affecting mRNA stability. In a cell-free in vitro translation system, HNP1 powerfully inhibited both cap-dependent and cap-independent mRNA translation while maintaining mRNA polysomal association. This is, to our knowledge, the first demonstration of a peptide released from one cell type (neutrophils) directly regulating mRNA translation in another (macrophages). By preventing protein translation, HNP1 functions as a "molecular brake" on macrophage-driven inflammation, ensuring both pathogen clearance and the resolution of inflammation with minimal bystander tissue damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Brook
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Reproductive Health, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, Scotland
| | - Gareth H Tomlinson
- MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, Scotland
| | - Katherine Miles
- MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, Scotland
| | - Richard W P Smith
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Reproductive Health, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, Scotland
| | - Adriano G Rossi
- MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, Scotland
| | - Pieter S Hiemstra
- Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Emily F A van 't Wout
- Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jonathan L E Dean
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola K Gray
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Reproductive Health, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, Scotland
| | - Wuyuan Lu
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201
| | - Mohini Gray
- MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, Scotland;
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Taniguchi M, Takahashi N, Takayanagi T, Ikeda A, Ishiyama Y, Saitoh E, Kato T, Ochiai A, Tanaka T. Effect of substituting arginine and lysine with alanine on antimicrobial activity and the mechanism of action of a cationic dodecapeptide (CL(14-25)), a partial sequence of cyanate lyase from rice. Biopolymers 2016; 102:58-68. [PMID: 23982951 DOI: 10.1002/bip.22399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2013] [Revised: 07/26/2013] [Accepted: 08/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The antimicrobial activity of analogs obtained by substituting arginine and lysine in CL(14-25), a cationic α-helical dodecapeptide, with alanine against Porphyromonas gingivalis, a periodontal pathogen, varied significantly depending on the number and position of cationic amino acids. The alanine-substituted analogs had no hemolytic activity, even at a concentration of 1 mM. The antimicrobial activities of CL(K20A) and CL(K20A, K25A) were 3.8-fold and 9.1-fold higher, respectively, than that of CL(14-25). The antimicrobial activity of CL(R15A) was slightly lower than that of CL(14-25), suggesting that arginine at position 15 is not essential but is important for the antimicrobial activity. The experiments in which the alanine-substituted analogs bearing the replacement of arginine at position 24 and/or lysine at position 25 were used showed that arginine at position 24 was crucial for the antimicrobial activity whenever lysine at position 25 was substituted with alanine. Helical wheel projections of the alanine-substituted analogs indicate that the hydrophobicity in the vicinity of leucine at position 16 and alanines at positions 18 and/or 21 increased by substituting lysine at positions 20 and 25 with alanine, respectively. The degrees of diSC3 -5 release from P. gingivalis cells and disruption of GUVs induced by the alanine-substituted analogs with different positive charges were not closely related to their antimicrobial activities. The enhanced antimicrobial activities of the alanine-substituted analogs appear to be mainly attributable to the changes in properties such as hydrophobicity and amphipathic propensity due to alanine substitution and not to their extents of positive charge (cationicity).
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Taniguchi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan; Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Niigata University, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan
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Taniguchi M, Ochiai A, Takahashi K, Nakamichi SI, Nomoto T, Saitoh E, Kato T, Tanaka T. Effect of alanine, leucine, and arginine substitution on antimicrobial activity against candida albicans and action mechanism of a cationic octadecapeptide derived from α-amylase of rice. Biopolymers 2016; 106:219-229. [DOI: 10.1002/bip.22817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2015] [Revised: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Taniguchi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
- Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Akihito Ochiai
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Takahashi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Shun-ichi Nakamichi
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Takafumi Nomoto
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
| | - Eiichi Saitoh
- Graduate School of Technology; Niigata Institute of Technology; Niigata 945-1195 Japan
| | - Tetsuo Kato
- Department of Chemistry; Tokyo Dental College; Tokyo 101-0062 Japan
| | - Takaaki Tanaka
- Department of Materials Science and Technology; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University; Niigata 950-2181 Japan
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Abstract
Naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides have been honed by evolution over millions of years to give highly safe and efficacious antimicrobials that form part of many organisms’ immune systems. By studying these peptides to identify key aspects of structure and composition, suitable synthetic polymer mimics can be designed that hold potential as anti-infective agents. This review focusses on an important aspect of peptide mimicry, that of replicating the chemical functionality provided by key amino acids present in antimicrobial peptides. These include polymethacrylate mimics of arginine-rich and tryptophan-rich peptides. Systematic investigation of the structure–activity relationships of these polymers identifies the guanidine based poly(methylmethacrylate-co-2-guanidinoethyl methacrylate) (pMMA-co-GEMA) copolymers with low molecular weight and low methyl content as having superior activity profiles when compared with all other combinations. Unique antibiofilm activity of these polymers is also revealed in in vitro testing against monomicrobial and polymicrobial biofilms of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and the fungus Candida albicans. This highlights Mother Nature as an important resource in drug development and identifies the arginine-mimicking polymethacrylates as important leads for the development of a new generation of antimicrobial agents to tackle resistance.
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Mathew B, Nagaraj R. Antimicrobial activity of human α-defensin 5 and its linear analogs: N-terminal fatty acylation results in enhanced antimicrobial activity of the linear analogs. Peptides 2015. [PMID: 26206286 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2015.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Human α-defensin 5 (HD5) exhibits broad spectrum antimicrobial activity and plays an important role in mucosal immunity of the small intestine. Although there have been several studies, the structural requirements for activity and mechanism of bacterial killing is yet to be established unequivocally. In this study, we have investigated the antimicrobial activity of HD5 and linear analogs. Cysteine deletions attenuated the antibacterial activity considerably. Candidacidal activity was affected to a lesser extent. Fatty acid conjugated linear analogs showed antimicrobial activity comparable activity to HD5. Effective surface charge neutralization of bacteria was observed for HD5 as compared to the non-fatty acylated linear analogs. Our results show that HD5 and non-fatty acylated linear analogs enter the bacterial cytoplasm without causing damage to the bacterial inner membrane. Although fatty acylated peptides exhibited antimicrobial activity comparable to HD5, their mechanism of action involved permeabilization of the Escherichia coli inner membrane. HD5 and analogs had the ability to bind plasmid DNA. HD5 had greater binding affinity to plasmid DNA as compared to the analogs. The three dimensional structure of HD5 favors greater interaction with the bacterial cell surface and also with DNA. Antibacterial activity of HD5 involves entry into bacterial cytoplasm and binding to DNA which would result in shut down of the bacterial metabolism leading to cell death. We show how a moderately active linear peptide derived from the α-defensin HD5 can be engineered to enhance antimicrobial activity almost comparable to the native peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basil Mathew
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 007, India
| | - Ramakrishnan Nagaraj
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 007, India.
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Peptides and Peptidomimetics for Antimicrobial Drug Design. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2015; 8:366-415. [PMID: 26184232 PMCID: PMC4588174 DOI: 10.3390/ph8030366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2015] [Revised: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to introduce and highlight a few classes of traditional antimicrobial peptides with a focus on structure-activity relationship studies. After first dissecting the important physiochemical properties that influence the antimicrobial and toxic properties of antimicrobial peptides, the contributions of individual amino acids with respect to the peptides antibacterial properties are presented. A brief discussion of the mechanisms of action of different antimicrobials as well as the development of bacterial resistance towards antimicrobial peptides follows. Finally, current efforts on novel design strategies and peptidomimetics are introduced to illustrate the importance of antimicrobial peptide research in the development of future antibiotics.
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Sharma H, Mathew B, Nagaraj R. Engineering of a linear inactive analog of human β-defensin 4 to generate peptides with potent antimicrobial activity. J Pept Sci 2015; 21:501-11. [PMID: 25810238 DOI: 10.1002/psc.2770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2014] [Revised: 02/12/2015] [Accepted: 02/13/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Human β-defensins (HBDs) are cationic antimicrobial peptides constrained by three disulfide bridges. They have diverse range of functions in the innate immune response. It is of interest to investigate whether linear analogs of defensins can be generated, which possess antimicrobial activity. In this study, we have designed linear peptides with potent antimicrobial activity from an inactive peptide spanning the N-terminus of HBD4. Our results show that l-arginine to d-arginine substitution imparts considerable antimicrobial activity against both bacteria and Candida albicans. Increase in hydrophobicity by fatty acylation of the peptides with myristic acid further enhances their potency. In the presence of high concentrations of salt, antimicrobial activity of the myristoylated peptide with l-arginine is attenuated relatively to a lesser extent as compared with the linear active peptide with d-arginine. Substitution of cysteine with the hydrophobic helix-promoting amino acid α-aminoisobutyric acid favors candidacidal activity but not antibacterial activity. The mechanism of killing by d-arginine substituted unacylated analog involves transient interaction with the bacterial membrane followed by translocation into the cytoplasm without membrane permeabilization. Accumulation of peptides in the cytoplasm can affect various cellular processes that lead to cell death. However, the peptide causes membrane permeabilization in case of C. albicans. Myristoylation results in greater interaction of the peptide chain with the microbial cell surface and causes membrane permeabilization. Results described in the study demonstrate that it is possible to generate highly active linear analogs of defensins by selective introduction of d-amino acids and fatty acids, which could be attractive candidates for development as therapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himanshu Sharma
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 007, India
| | - Basil Mathew
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 007, India
| | - Ramakrishnan Nagaraj
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 007, India
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Wang C, Shen M, Gohain N, Tolbert WD, Chen F, Zhang N, Yang K, Wang A, Su Y, Cheng T, Zhao J, Pazgier M, Wang J. Design of a potent antibiotic peptide based on the active region of human defensin 5. J Med Chem 2015; 58:3083-93. [PMID: 25782105 DOI: 10.1021/jm501824a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Human defensin 5 (HD5) is a broad-spectrum antibacterial peptide with a C-terminal active region. To promote the development of this peptide into an antibiotic, we initially substituted Glu21 with Arg because it is an electronegative residue located around the active region. Although detrimental to dimer formation, the E21R substitution markedly enhanced the antibacterial activity of HD5 and increased its ability to penetrate cell membranes, demonstrating that increasing the electropositive charge compensated for the effect of dimer disruption. Subsequently, a partial Arg scanning mutagenesis was performed, and Thr7 was selected for replacement with Arg to further strengthen the antibacterial activity. The newly designed peptide, T7E21R-HD5, exhibited potent antibacterial activity, even in saline and serum solutions. In contrast to monomeric E21R-HD5, T7E21R-HD5 assembled into an atypical dimer with parallel β strands, thus expanding the role of increasing electropositive charge in bactericidal activity and providing a useful guide for further defensin-derived antibiotic design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Wang
- †State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Mingqiang Shen
- †State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Neelakshi Gohain
- ‡Institute of Human Virology and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - William D Tolbert
- ‡Institute of Human Virology and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Fang Chen
- †State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Naixin Zhang
- †State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Ke Yang
- †State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China.,§Department of Nephrology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Aiping Wang
- †State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Yongping Su
- †State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Tianmin Cheng
- †State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Jinghong Zhao
- §Department of Nephrology, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Marzena Pazgier
- ‡Institute of Human Virology and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Junping Wang
- †State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Combined Injury of PLA, Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
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Sharma H, Nagaraj R. Human β-defensin 4 with non-native disulfide bridges exhibit antimicrobial activity. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0119525. [PMID: 25785690 PMCID: PMC4364940 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2014] [Accepted: 01/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Human defensins play multiple roles in innate immunity including direct antimicrobial killing and immunomodulatory activity. They have three disulfide bridges which contribute to the stability of three anti-parallel β-strands. The exact role of disulfide bridges and canonical β-structure in the antimicrobial action is not yet fully understood. In this study, we have explored the antimicrobial activity of human β-defensin 4 (HBD4) analogs that differ in the number and connectivity of disulfide bridges. The cysteine framework was similar to the disulfide bridges present in μ-conotoxins, an unrelated class of peptide toxins. All the analogs possessed enhanced antimicrobial potency as compared to native HBD4. Among the analogs, the single disulfide bridged peptide showed maximum potency. However, there were no marked differences in the secondary structure of the analogs. Subtle variations were observed in the localization and membrane interaction of the analogs with bacteria and Candida albicans, suggesting a role for disulfide bridges in modulating their antimicrobial action. All analogs accumulated in the cytosol where they can bind to anionic molecules such as nucleic acids which would affect several cellular processes leading to cell death. Our study strongly suggests that native disulfide bridges or the canonical β-strands in defensins have not evolved for maximal activity but they play important roles in determining their antimicrobial potency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himanshu Sharma
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | - Ramakrishnan Nagaraj
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
- * E-mail:
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Michalek M, Jung S, Shomali MR, Cauchard S, Sönnichsen FD, Grötzinger J. Solution structure and functional studies of the highly potent equine antimicrobial peptide DEFA1. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2015; 459:668-72. [PMID: 25769951 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2015.02.168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2015] [Accepted: 02/28/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Defensins are small effector molecules of the innate immune system that are present in almost all organisms including plants and animals. These peptides possess antimicrobial activity against a broad range of microbes including bacteria, fungi and viruses and act as endogenous antibiotics. α-Defensins are a subfamily of the defensin family and their expression is limited to specific tissues. Equine DEFA1 is an enteric α-defensin exclusively secreted by Paneth cells and shows an activity against a broad spectrum of microbes, including typical pathogens of the horse such as Rhodococcus equi, various streptococci strains, Salmonella choleraesuis, and Pasteurella multocida. Here, we report the three-dimensional structure of DEFA1 solved by NMR-spectroscopy and demonstrate its specific function of aggregating various phospholipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Michalek
- Institute of Biochemistry, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Sascha Jung
- Institute of Biochemistry, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Mohammad R Shomali
- Institute of Biochemistry, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Severine Cauchard
- ANSES, Dozulé Laboratory for Equine Diseases, Bacteriology and Parasitology Unit, 14430 Goustranville, France
| | - Frank D Sönnichsen
- Otto Diels Institute of Organic Chemistry, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Joachim Grötzinger
- Institute of Biochemistry, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany.
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