Central Role of the Copper-Binding Motif in the Complex Mechanism of Action of Ixosin: Enhancing Oxidative Damage and Promoting Synergy with Ixosin B.
Ticks transmit multiple pathogens to different hosts without compromising their health. Their ability to evade microbial infections is largely a result of their effective innate immune response including various antimicrobial peptides. Therefore, a deep understanding of how ticks (and other arthropod vectors) control microbial loads could lead to the design of broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents. In this paper we study the role of the amino-terminal copper and nickel (ATCUN)-binding sequence in the peptide ixosin, isolated from the salivary glands of the hard tick Ixodes sinensis. Our results indicate that the ATCUN motif is not essential to the potency of ixosin, but is indispensable to its oxidative mechanism of action. Specifically, the ATCUN motif promotes dioxygen- and copper-dependent lipid (per)oxidation of bacterial membranes in a temporal fashion coinciding with the onset of bacterial death. Microscopy and studies on model membranes indicate that the oxidized phospholipids are utilized as potential targets of ixosin B (another tick salivary gland peptide) involving its delocalization to the bacterial membrane, thus resulting in a synergistic effect. Our proposed mechanism of action highlights the centrality of the ATCUN motif to ixosin's mechanism of action and demonstrates a novel way in which (tick) antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) utilize metal ions in its activity. This study suggests that ticks employ a variety of effectors to generate an amplified immune response, possibly justifying its vector competence.
Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut , Unit 3060, 55 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, United States.
M Daben J
MD
Libardo
Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut , Unit 3060, 55 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, United States.|Biotechnology and Bioservices Center, University of Connecticut , Unit 3149, 91 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, United States.
Vitaliy Y
VY
Gorbatyuk
Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut , Unit 3060, 55 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, United States.
Alfredo M
AM
Angeles-Boza
D020816:Amino Acid Motifs / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D060829:Arthropod Proteins / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002462:Cell Membrane; D003300:Copper; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects*; D018884:Ixodes; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009532:Nickel; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D012469:Salivary Glands; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D060829:Arthropod Proteins; C584460:ixosin-B peptide, Ixodes sinensis; D003300:Copper; D009532:Nickel
antimicrobial peptide; confocal microscopy; copper; synergy; tick