title: Fungicidal activity of a phospholipase-A2-derived synthetic peptide variant against Candida albicans.
abstract: pEM-2, a 13-mer synthetic peptide variant derived from myotoxin II, a phospholipase A(2) homologue present in Bothrops asper snake venom, has shown potent bactericidal activity in previous studies due to the combination of cationic and hydrophobic amino acids, including three tryptophan-substituted residues in its sequence. This study reports that pEM-2 also exerts potent fungicidal activity against a variety of clinically relevant Candida species, killing 100% of yeasts at concentrations near 10 mg/l (5 microM), as indicated by plate counting assays. Thus, this peptide displays a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, in the absence of hemolytic activity. The fungicidal action of pEM-2 against Candida can be partially inhibited by increasing concentrations of extracellular divalent cations (Ca(+2) or Mg(+2)), in agreement with its proposed membrane-permeabilizing mechanism of action.
authors: Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors: Luis A
authors: LA
authors: Murillo
authors: Chung-Yu
authors: CY
authors: Lan
authors: Nina M
authors: NM
authors: Agabian
authors: Silda
authors: S
authors: Larios
authors: Bruno
authors: B
authors: Lomonte
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017837:Bothrops; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects*; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000187:drug effects; D003435:Crotalid Venoms / Q000201:enzymology*; D054501:Group II Phospholipases A2 / Q000737:chemistry*; D008274:Magnesium / Q000494:pharmacology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D030162:Reptilian Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D003435:Crotalid Venoms; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D030162:Reptilian Proteins; C519619:pEM-2D peptide; D054501:Group II Phospholipases A2; C061056:myotoxin II, Bothrops asper; D008274:Magnesium; D002118:Calcium