title: Atomic Force Microscopy Study of the Interactions of Indolicidin with Model Membranes and DNA.
abstract: The cell membrane is the first barrier and quite often the primary target that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have to destroy or penetrate to fulfill their mission. Upon penetrating through the membrane, the peptides can further attack intracellular targets, in particular DNA. Studying the interaction of an antimicrobial peptide with a cell membrane and DNA holds keys to understanding its killing mechanisms. Commonly, these interactions are studied by using optical or scanning electron microscopy and appropriately labeled peptides. However, labeling can significantly affect the hydrophobicity, conformation, and size of the peptide, hence altering the interaction significantly. Here, we describe the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) for a label-free study of the interactions of peptides with model membranes under physiological conditions and DNA as a possible intracellular target.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, Aalborg University, Skjernvej 4A, Aalborg, 9220, Denmark. fp@nano.aau.dk.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fojan
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, Aalborg University, Skjernvej 4A, Aalborg, 9220, Denmark.
authors.forename: Leonid
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gurevich
mesh_terms: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000379:methods; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; C073143:indolicidin; D004247:DNA
keywords: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs); Atomic force microscopy (AFM); Indolicidin; Peptide–DNA interaction; Supported planar bilayers (SPBs)