title: Evaluation of the antibacterial spectrum of drosocin analogues.
abstract: Drosocin is a 19-mer, cationic antimicrobial peptide from Drosophila melanogaster. The aim of the study was to examine the antibacterial spectrum of unglycosylated drosocin analogues. Furthermore, the amino acid sequence of DnaK, drosocin's intracellular target, from susceptible species was aligned and studied for sequence homology. From this a panel of 31 bacterial strains, including Salmonella strains with truncated lipopolysaccharide structures, was tested for susceptibility towards three drosocin analogues. Available bacterial DnaK amino acid sequences were retrieved from the ExPASy proteomics server of the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics studied for sequence homology. Seventeen of the 31 strains tested were susceptible for the drosocin analogues. Minimal inhibitory concentration values against mainly Gram-negative bacteria ranged from 3.1 to 100 microm. With the exception of Micrococcus luteus and Xanthomonas campestris all drosocin analogue-susceptible strains were Enterobacteriaceae showing a high DnaK amino acid sequence homology.
authors.affiliation: TNO Defence, Security and Safety, PO Box 45, 2280 AA Rijswijk, the Netherlands. floris.bikker@tno.nl
authors.forename: Floris J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Bikker
authors.forename: Wendy E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Kaman-van Zanten
authors.forename: Anne-Marij B C
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: de Vries-van de Ruit
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Voskamp-Visser
authors.forename: Peter A V
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: van Hooft
authors.forename: Roos H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Mars-Groenendijk
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: de Visser
authors.forename: Daan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Noort
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D006020:Glycopeptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D006020:Glycopeptides; C082117:drosocin