Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shannice E. Creane, Simon R. Carlile, Damian Downey, Sinead Weldon, John P. Dalton, Clifford C. Taggart
Summary: Respiratory infections are a major cause of global morbidity and mortality, especially for individuals with chronic inflammatory lung diseases. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have therapeutic potential, but face challenges related to stability and cytotoxicity. Snake-derived AMPs retain functionality even after being cleaved by lung proteases, making them potential candidates for treating conditions with elevated protease levels such as in cystic fibrosis airways.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Julian L. Kessler, Grace Kang, Zhao Qin, Helen Kang, Frank G. Whitby, Thomas E. Cheatham, Christopher P. Hill, Yang Li, S. Michael Yu
Summary: This study reveals that N-substituted glycines have the potential to stabilize the triple-helix structure, making them valuable for synthesizing collagen-mimetic peptides with unprecedented side chain diversity.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Andreanne Laniel, Etienne Marouseau, Duc Tai Nguyen, Ulrike Froehlich, Claire McCartney, Pierre-Luc Boudreault, Christine Lavoie
Summary: To investigate the relationship between structure and cellular penetration of guanidinium-rich transporters (GRTs), the researchers designed a peptoid called PGua4, which contains a conformationally restricted pattern of eight guanidines. PGua4 showed high cell-penetrating abilities and low cell toxicity. The study characterized the cellular uptake selectivity, internalization pathway, intracellular distribution of PGua4, as well as its capacity to deliver cargo. The results showed that PGua4 exhibited high penetration efficiency in HeLa cells compared to other cell lines, and it mainly entered the cells through clathrin-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis.
MOLECULAR PHARMACEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aaron P. Decker, Abraham F. Mechesso, Guangshun Wang
Summary: Unlike the alpha-helical and beta-sheet antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), amino acid-rich AMPs have limited knowledge. This article conducted a systematic study on rich AMPs (>25%) from different life kingdoms using the Antimicrobial Peptide Database (APD) and program R. Of the 3425 peptides analyzed, 724 rich AMPs were identified. The distribution of rich AMPs differs among animals, bacteria, and plants. Certain amino acids are frequently observed in rich AMPs, while others are occasionally observed or not yet found. These findings can guide peptide design and rich AMPs show promise as future antibiotics.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Valeria Cafaro, Andrea Bosso, Ilaria Di Nardo, Assunta D'Amato, Irene Izzo, Francesco De Riccardis, Marialuisa Siepi, Rosanna Culurciello, Nunzia D'Urzo, Emiliano Chiarot, Antonina Torre, Elio Pizzo, Marcello Merola, Eugenio Notomista
Summary: Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) are powerful molecules with antimicrobial, antibiofilm and endotoxin-scavenging activities. The development of functional mimics of CAMPs called peptoids have shown promising results in terms of proteolytic stability and biological activities. One particular peptoid, P13#1, has been shown to mimic cathelicidins and exhibit similar antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects as conventional antibiotics without toxicity.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chayanon Ngambenjawong, Leslie W. Chan, Heather E. Fleming, Sangeeta N. Bhatia
Summary: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have the potential to be an alternative to antibiotics for combating antimicrobial resistance, but their systemic application is hindered by short circulation time and toxicity. This study developed a strategy to prolong the systemic circulation of small cationic AMPs by conjugating them with an albumin-binding domain (ABD). The conjugate was able to enhance pulmonary delivery of the active AMP, while reducing exposure to other off-target organs, thereby improving safety. The framework presented in this study can be used to optimize the performance of this emerging class of conditional therapeutics.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yaping Yuan, Shasha Li, Zhuoran Zhao, Bo Deng, Ziyi Li, Xiaoyuan Jing, Wenlu Zhang, Zhongjie Li
Summary: In this study, a new antimicrobial peptide derivative Pacavin-5K was designed, which showed stronger antibacterial activity, lower toxicity, and disrupted bacterial membrane. It significantly reduced bacterial counts in the wounded region in a mouse cutaneous infection model.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Federica Armas, Adriana Di Stasi, Mario Mardirossian, Antonello A. Romani, Monica Benincasa, Marco Scocchi
Summary: The study tested two different lipidated forms of Bac7(1-16) aimed at extending its activity against bacterial species lacking SbmA. Both lipidated forms showed activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria at low micromolar MIC values. These results suggest that C-terminal lipidation alters the function and mode of action of a short proline-rich peptide, providing insights into the design of broad-spectrum antibacterial agents.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nassirine Soumanou, Dorthe Lybye, Thomas Hjelmgaard, Sophie Faure
Summary: Highly efficient procedures have been developed for the greener synthesis of sequence-defined peptoid oligomers. The chain elongation process is optimised to be carried out in water-based media, in a unique N to C direction, with a convenient one-pot two-step deprotection/coupling sequence for each new peptoid residue. The process is so efficient that only aqueous extraction is required after each intermediate coupling step, and solvents other than water used during synthesis and workup processes are limited to EtOH, MeOH, or EtOAc.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Conan K. Wang, Yen-Hua Huang, Fatima Shabbir, Huong T. Pham, Nicole Lawrence, Aurelie H. Benfield, Wilfred van der Donk, Sonia T. Henriques, Mark S. Turner, David J. Craik
Summary: Circular bacteriocins are a stable class of peptide molecules with antimicrobial activity and potential applications as clinical antibiotics or food preservatives. They are resistant to thermal, chemical, and enzymatic conditions, making them easier to handle and distribute compared to other bacteriocins.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aura L. C. Parra, Cleverson D. T. Freitas, Pedro F. N. Souza, Patrick von Aderkas, Christoph H. Borchers, Gwyn A. Beattie, Fredy D. A. Silva, Robert W. Thornburg
Summary: This study conducted an extensive peptidomic analysis on the floral nectar of ornamental tobacco and identified several peptides with antimicrobial activity. These peptides, along with proteins and hydrogen peroxide, contribute to plant defense against microorganisms during pollination.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Zhiqiang Liu, Guoli Gong, Yanni Li, Qinfeng Xu, Nuraly Akimbekov, Jian Zha, Xia Wu
Summary: In this study, lysostaphin was used to directly digest glycine-rich flexible linkers in fusion proteins without the need for additional amino acids. The digestion efficiency of lysostaphin increased with the length of the linker. Furthermore, lysostaphin could also be used to remove the SUMO domain linked to LwCas13a via an octaglycine linker. These findings demonstrate the potential of lysostaphin as a novel and efficient protease for protein engineering.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Zhihua Wang, Qiuke Li, Jinze Li, Jiawei Li, Lu Shang, Shuli Chou, Yinfeng Lyu, Anshan Shan
Summary: Antibiotic resistance is a serious issue, and antimicrobial peptides are considered promising alternatives to antibiotics due to their unique killing mechanism. This study designed a series of Trp-rich peptides and found that VW5 exhibited significant antimicrobial effects without causing toxicity to the skin through in vivo experiments.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Jingcheng Zou, Min Zhou, Zhemin Ji, Ximian Xiao, Yueming Wu, Ruxin Cui, Shuai Deng, Runhui Liu
Summary: This study presents a novel method for the synthesis of peptide/peptoid hybrid polymers with alternating distribution of residues, controlled molecular weight, and narrow dispersity. This method allows for quick synthesis of peptide mimicking peptide/peptoid hybrid polymers with adjustable proteolysis and opens up new possibilities for preparing novel peptide mimics with tunable proteolysis and large structural diversity.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Natthaporn Klubthawee, Giovanni Bovone, Bruno Marco-Dufort, Elia A. Guzzi, Ratchaneewan Aunpad, Mark W. Tibbitt
Summary: This study presents a moldable and biodegradable colloidal nano-network that protects and delivers antimicrobial peptides to address antimicrobial resistance. The nano-network successfully protects the peptides from enzymatic degradation and demonstrates effective killing of bacteria in vitro and ex vivo models.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2022)
