title: Structure-function relationships in the tryptophan-rich, antimicrobial peptide indolicidin.
abstract: Indolicidin is a cationic 13 amino acid peptide amide produced in the granules of bovine neutrophils with the sequence H-ILPWKWPWWPWRR-NH2. Indolicidin is both antimicrobial and, to a lesser extent, haemolytic. In order to systematically investigate structure-function relationships, the solid-phase synthesis of indolicidin and 48 distinct analogues are reported, as well as the characterization of their respective biological properties. Peptides synthesized and characterized include analogues with modified terminal functions, truncations from either terminus, an alanine scan to determine the role of each individual amino acid, specific amino acid exchanges of aromatic, charged and structural residues and several retro-, inverso- and retroinverso-analogues. Together, characterization of these analogues identifies specific residues involved in antimicrobial or haemolytic activity and suggests a core structure that may form a scaffold for the further development of peptidomimetic analogues of indolicidin.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Organische Chemie der Universität Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Staubitz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peschel
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Nieuwenhuizen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Otto
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Götz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Jack
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002417:Cattle; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; C073143:indolicidin; D014364:Tryptophan