title: Antimicrobial activity of aurein 2.5 against yeasts.
abstract: Fungal infections with multiple resistance to conventional antifungals are increasingly becoming a medical problem, and there is an urgent need for new antifungal compounds with novel mechanisms of action. Here, we show that aurein 2.5, a naturally occurring peptide antibiotic, displays activity against the fungal strains: Rhodotorula rubra and Schizosaccharomyces pombe (MICs < 130 μM). The peptide adopted high levels of membrane-interactive α-helical structure (> 65%) in the presence of lipid membranes derived from these organisms and showed strong propensities to penetrate (π ≥ 13 mN m(-1) ) and lyse them (> 70%). Based on these data, we suggest that aurein 2.5 kills yeasts via membranolytic mechanisms and may act as a template for the development of therapeutically useful antifungal agents.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK.
authors.forename: Sarah R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Dennison
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Leslie H G
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Morton
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Phoenix
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D053835:Unilamellar Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D015003:Yeasts / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D008055:Lipids; D053835:Unilamellar Liposomes
keywords: alpha-helical; antifungal; antimicrobial peptide; monolayer interactions