title: A synthetic form of tracheal antimicrobial peptide has both bactericidal and antifungal activities.
abstract: We have chemically synthesized tracheal antimicrobial peptide (TAP) with 38 amino acids and examined efficacy of the peptide on various organisms. The synthetic peptide showed potent bactericidal effect on both gram positive and negative bacteria. The action of bactericidal effect was relatively quick and 99.9% of E. coli cells were killed within 90 minutes at a concentration of 2.5 micrograms/ml of TAP. The peptide also showed antifungal activity against both mycelia (Aspergillus fumigatus) and yeast (Candida albicans) forms of fungi. Our domain analysis with a series of synthetic peptides of various lengths indicates that 17 amino acid residues of the C-terminal end is the minimum functional domain of the bactericidal activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine Pulmonary Division, School of Medicine Southern Illinois University, Springfield 62702, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lawyer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watabe
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pai
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bakir
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Eagleton
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mashimo
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watabe
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001232:Aspergillus fumigatus / Q000187:drug effects; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D010455:Peptides; C068629:tracheal antimicrobial peptide, bovine