title: Defence against antimicrobial peptides: different strategies in Firmicutes.
abstract: The Firmicutes constitute a phylum of bacteria that can be found in a wide variety of habitats, from soil to the gastrointestinal tract of animals, where they have to thrive in complex communities. Competition in these communities usually involves the production of compounds such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) to eliminate competitor organisms. Animals and plants also produce AMPs to control their associated microbiota. In turn, defence mechanisms have evolved to prevent the action of these compounds. The close association of some Firmicutes with humans as prominent pathogens or commensal organisms has driven a considerable research effort on defence mechanisms used by these bacteria against antimicrobial compounds. This review focuses on the most recent advances on two well-characterized defence mechanisms against AMPs: the modification of the cell wall by D-alanylation and the role of peptide antibiotic-specific adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporters.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biotecnología, Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos (IATA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Paterna, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Ainhoa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Revilla-Guarinos
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gebhard
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mascher
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zúñiga
mesh_terms: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000378:metabolism; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013682:Teichoic Acids / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D013682:Teichoic Acids