Boosting antimicrobial peptides by hydrophobic oligopeptide end tags.
A novel approach for boosting antimicrobial peptides through end tagging with hydrophobic oligopeptide stretches is demonstrated. Focusing on two peptides derived from kininogen, GKHKNKGKKNGKHNGWK (GKH17) and HKHGHGHGKHKNKGKKN (HKH17), tagging resulted in enhanced killing of Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, Gram-negative Escherichia coli, and fungal Candida albicans. Microbicidal potency increased with tag length, also in plasma, and was larger for Trp and Phe stretches than for aliphatic ones. The enhanced microbicidal effects correlated to a higher degree of bacterial wall rupture. Analogously, tagging promoted peptide binding to model phospholipid membranes and liposome rupture, particularly for anionic and cholesterol-void membranes. Tagged peptides displayed low toxicity, particularly in the presence of serum, and resisted degradation by human leukocyte elastase and by staphylococcal aureolysin and V8 proteinase. The biological relevance of these findings was demonstrated ex vivo and in vivo in porcine S. aureus skin infection models. The generality of end tagging for facile boosting of antimicrobial peptides without the need for post-synthesis modification was also demonstrated.
Schmidtchen
Artur
A
Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Pasupuleti
Mukesh
M
Mörgelin
Matthias
M
Davoudi
Mina
M
Alenfall
Jan
J
Chalupka
Anna
A
Malmsten
Martin
M
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D005260:Female; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007704:Kininogens / Q000737:chemistry; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase / Q000378:metabolism; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development; D013552:Swine
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007704:Kininogens; D009842:Oligopeptides; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; C115504:aureolysin