title: Solution structures of human LL-37 fragments and NMR-based identification of a minimal membrane-targeting antimicrobial and anticancer region.
abstract: To understand the structure and activity relationship of human LL-37, a series of peptide fragments was designed. The N-terminal fragment, LL-37(1-12), was not active, while the C-terminal fragment, LL-37(13-37), killed Escherichia coli, as well as drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cancer cells. A 13-residue core antibacterial and anticancer peptide, corresponding to residues 17-29 of LL-37, was identified based on total correlated spectroscopy by trimming nonessential regions (TOCSY-trim). Because LL-37 acts on bacterial membranes, three-dimensional structures of its fragments were determined in micelles by NMR, including structural refinement by natural abundance 15N and 13C chemical shifts. Aromatic-aromatic interactions in the N-terminal fragment were proposed to be essential for LL-37 aggregation. The LL-37 core peptide adopts a similar structure in the micelles of SDS or dioctanoyl phosphatidylglycerol. This structure is retained in the C-terminal fragment LL-37(13-37) and very likely in intact LL-37 based on peptide-aided signal assignments. The higher antibacterial activity of the LL-37 core peptide than aurein 1.2 was attributed to additional cationic residues. To achieve selective membrane targeting, D-amino acids were incorporated into LL-37(17-32). While the D-peptide showed similar antibacterial activity to the L-diastereomer, it lost toxicity to human cells. Structural analysis revealed hydrophobic defects in the new amphipathic structure of the D-peptide, leading to a much shorter retention time on a reversed-phase HPLC column. It is proposed that hydrophobic defects as a result of incoherent hydrophobic packing provide a structural basis for the improvement in cell selectivity of the LL-37 fragment.
authors.affiliation: Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986805 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198-6805, USA.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yifeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Huiyun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Donald W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Guangshun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003460:Crystallization; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular / Q000379:methods*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry*; D011487:Protein Conformation
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D010446:Peptide Fragments