• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1478-1484
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• 2003

CRAMP was identified from a cDNA clone derived from a mouse femoral marrow cells as a member of cathelicidin-derived antimicrobial peptide. Tertiary structure of CRAMP in TFE/$H_2O$ (1 : 1, v/v) solution has been determined by NMR spectroscopy previously and consists of two amphipathic $\alpha-helices$ from Leu4 to Lys10 and from Gly16 to Leu33. These two helices are connected by a flexible region from Gly11 to Gly16. Analysis of series of fragments composed of various portion of CRAMP revealed that an 18-residue fragment with the sequence from Gly16 to Leu33 (CRAMP-18) was found to retain antibacterial activity without cytotoxicity. The effects of two Phe residues at positions 14 and 15 of CRAMP-18 on structure, antibacterial activity, and interaction with lipid membranes were investigated by $Phe^{14,15}$ ${\rightarrow}$ Ala substitution (CRAMP-18-A) in the present study. Substitution of Phe with Ala in CRAMP-18 caused a significant reduction on antibacterial and membrane-disrupting activities. Tertiary structures of CRAMP-18 in 50% TFE/$H_2O$ (1 : 1, v : v) solution shows amphipathic ${\alpha}$-helix, from $Glu^2{\;}to{\;}Leu^{18}$, while CRAMP-18-A has relatively short amphipathic ${\alpha}$-helix from $Leu^4{\;}to{\;}Ala^{15}$. These results suggest that the hydrophobic property of $Phe^{14}{\;}and{\;}Phe^15$ in CRAMP-18 is essential for its antibacterial activity, ${\alpha}$-helical structure, and interactions with phospholipid membranes.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.875-885
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• 2022

This study was performed to confirm the optimal extraction method for antimicrobial peptides from the Hard-shelled mussel. Extractions were performed with two processes including 1% HAc/boiling and 1% HAc/non-boiling methods and used extracts for the comparison of the antimicrobial activity, protease stability, action mechanism, AU-PAGE (acid-urea PAGE), and HPLC chromatograms. 1% HAc/boiling extract showed potent antibacterial activities both against Gram-positive and negative bacterium but 1% HAc/non-boiling extract showed antibacterial activity only against Gram-positive bacteria. Treatment of 1% HAc/boiling extract with proteases retained almost antibacterial activity against B. subtilis, but abolished significant antibacterial activity against E. coli D31. Only 1% HAc/boiling extract showed two discrete clearing antibacterial zones including slow migrating and rapid migrating zones. Both extracts showed strong DNA-binding ability but did not show bacterial membrane permeabilizing ability. In comparison of the chromatogram obtained from C₁₈ or cation-exchange HPLC, the eluted peaks from 1% HAc/boiling extract showed high hydrophobic property or absorbance compared to 1% HAc/non-boiling extract, respectively. The concentration of the purified antimicrobial peptide was also higher in 1% HAc/boiling extract than in 1% HAc/non-boiling extract. Our results suggest that the effective extraction condition for antimicrobial peptides from marine invertebrate is boiling process in a weak acetic acid solution (1%).

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.291-296
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• 2002

Thanatin, a 21-residue peptide, is an inducible insect peptide with a broad range of activity against bacteria and fungi. It has a C-terminal disulfide loop, like the frog skin secretion antimicrobial peptides of the brevinin family. In this study, we tried to find the effect of a number of amino acids between the disulfide bond. Thanatin showed stronger antibacterial activity to Gram negative bacteria than other mutants, except Th1; whereas, the mutant peptides with deletion had higher activity to Gram positive bacteria than thanatin. An increase in the number of amino acid(s) using the alanine residue decreased the antibacterial activity in all of the bacteria. Th1 with deletion of threonine at position 15 ($Thr^{15}$) showed similar antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria, but had higher activity against the Gram positive bacteria. In order to study the structure-function relationship, we measured liposome disruption by the peptides and CD spectra of the peptides. Th1 also showed the highest liposome leaking activity and α-helical propensity in the sodium dodecyl sulfate solution, compared with other peptides. Liposome disruption activity was closely correlated with the anti-Gram positive bacterial activity. All of the peptides showed no hemolytic activity. Th1 was considered to be useful as an antimicrobial peptide with broad spectrum without toxicity.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.452-457
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• 2016

Lactoferrin is a glycoprotein with various biological effects, with antibacterial activity being one of the first effects reported. This glycoprotein suppresses bacterial growth through bacteriostatic or bactericidal action. It also stimulates the growth of certain kinds of bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria. In this study, Asn-Leu-Asn-Arg was selected and chemically synthesized based on the partial sequences of bovine lactoferrin tryptic fragments. Synthetic Asn-Leu-Asn-Arg suppressed the growth of Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. syringae and Escherichia coli. P. fluorescens is a major psychrotrophic bacteria found in raw and pasteurized milk, which decreases milk quality. P. syringae is a harmful infectious bacterium that damages plants. However, synthetic Asn-Leu-Asn-Arg did not inhibit the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus. It is expected that this synthetic peptide would be the first peptide sequence from the bovine lactoferrin C-lobe that shows antibacterial activity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.1305-1309
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• 2020

Insects possess biological defense systems that can effectively combat the invasion of external microorganisms and viruses, thereby supporting their survival in diverse environments. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a fast-acting weapon against invading pathogens, including various bacterial or fungal strains. A 37-residue antimicrobial peptide, papiliocin, derived from the swallowtail butterfly Papilio xuthus larvae, showed significant antimicrobial activities against several human pathogenic bacterial and fungal strains. Jelleines, isolated as novel antibacterial peptides from the Royal Jelly (RJ) of bees, exhibit broad-spectrum protection against microbial infections. In this study, we developed a novel antimicrobial peptide, PAJE (RWKIFKKPFKISIHL-NH₂), which is a hybrid peptide prepared by combining 1-7 amino acid residues (RWKIFKK-NH₂) of papiliocin and 1-8 amino acid residues (PFKISIHL-NH₂) of Jelleine-1 to alter length, charge distribution, net charge, volume, amphipaticity, and improve bacterial membrane interactions. This novel peptide exhibited increased hydrophobicity and net positive charge for binding effectively to the negatively charged membrane. PAJE demonstrated antimicrobial activity against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, with very low toxicity to eukaryotic cells and an inexpensive process of synthesis. Collectively, these findings suggest that this novel peptide possesses great potential as an antimicrobial agent.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.157-163
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• 1998

This study was carried out to examine that pepsin-hydrolyzed bovine lactoferrin has applicabilities which are market milk and dairy products. The stability of pepsin-hydrolyzed bovine apo-lactoferrin and the change of its antibacterial character has been studied under various method for pasteurization (LTLT; 65$^{\circ}C$ / 30min., HTST ; 75$^{\circ}C$ / 15sec., UHT ; 135$^{\circ}C$ / 3sec.) and pH Values (pH 2.0, pH 4.0, pH 6.8). The ehated samples were assayed for minimal bacteriocidal concentrations (MBCs) and bacteriocidal effect against E. coli. The results obtained were summarized as follows: After fractionation of pepsin-hydrolyzed bovine lactofeerin by gel filtration. several peptide fractions were found that had strong antibacterial activity. SDS-PAGE showed that the one of these fractions with strong antibacterial activity, which had a molecular mass a range of 30∼33KDa. The MBCs for pepsin-hydrolyzed bovine lactoferrin fraction No. 2 against E. coli required to cause complete inhibition of growth varied within the range of 200∼400 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml, depending on heat treatments and pH conditions. The peptide fraction No. 2 showed strong bacteriocidal activity against E. coli at LTLT and HTST treatments under acidic pH conditions. and was reduced activity at UHT treatment under pH 6.8 condition.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.990-996
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• 2008

In a previous study, we found an antifungal effect on human pathogenic fungi by the cell-penetrating peptide Tat (47-58) derived from HIV-1. Tat (47-58) immediately entered into the fungal nucleus and affected some physiological changes on the intracellular condition. In this study, Tat (47-58) showed a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria including bacterial clinical isolates. To improve resistance against proteases for use in vivo, we synthesized an analog of Tat (47-58) by substituting the L-amino acid for the D-amino acid. The D-enantiomer of Tat (47-58) also exhibited a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity at almost the same level of L-Tat (47-58) concentration. Unlike L-Tat (47-58), D-Tat (47-58) showed a significant proteolytic resistance against all proteases tested and antimicrobial activities in the presence of trypsin. Moreover, D-Tat (47-58) inhibited MRSA infection in human HeLa cells whereas L-Tat (47-58) partially allowed MRSA infection, and the results were due to the proteolytic resistance of D-Tat (47-58).

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.95-99
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• 2004

Synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) containing unmethylated CpG dinucleotides in particular base contexts are known to induce immunity in vertebrate cells. In insect, however, it was recent to find out that ODNs induces insect immunity as other immune inducer such as lipopolysaccharide. However, the finding was solely based on one lepidopteran insect, Bombyx mori, and the expression of insect immunity was neither dependent on numbers of CpG repeats nor methylation of CpG repeats within ODNs. Instead, foreignness of DNA has been suggested to be a key factor governing induction of antibacterial peptide. In this study, we expanded our previous understanding to the potentiality of ODNs as an immune inducer for antifungal peptide in Galleria mellonella and B. mori. To do this, a defensin-type antifungal peptide gene, reported from G. mellonella was cloned and partially sequenced from G. mellonella and B. mori successfully and utilized as a probe in the Northern blot analysis. We found out that ODNs also work as an immune inducer for antifungal peptide in the fat body and midgut of G. mellonella and B. mori larvae. Also, induction pattern of antifungal peptide was irrelevant to the numbers of CpG repeats within ODNs as previously reported on the induction pattern of antibacterial peptides.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.561-566
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• 1999

CA(1-8)-ME(1-12) [CA-ME], composed of cecropin A(1-8) and melittin(1-12), is a synthetic antimicrobial peptide having potent antibacterial and antitumor activities with minimal hemolytic activity. In order to investigate the effects of the flexible hinge sequence, Gly-Ile-Gly, of CA-ME on antibiotic activity, CA-ME and three analogues, CA-ME1, CA-ME2, and CA-ME3, were synthesized. The Gly-Ile-Gly sequence of Ca-ME was deleted in CA-ME1 and replaced with Pro and Gly-Pro-Gly in CA-ME2 and CA-ME3, respectively. CA-ME1 and CA-ME3 showed a significant decrease in antitumor activity and phospholipid vesicle-disrupting ability. However, CA-ME2 showed similar antitumor and vesicle-disrupting activities, as compared with CA-ME. These results suggest that the flexibility or ${\beta}$-turn induced by Gly-Ile-Gly or Pro in the central part of CA-ME may be important in the electrostatic interaction of the N-terminus cationic ${\alpha}$-helical region with the cell membrane surface and the hydrophobic interaction of the C-terminus amphipathic ${\alpha}$-helical region with the hydrophobic acyl chains in the cell membrane. CA-ME3 exhibited lower antitumor and vesicle-disrupting activities than CA-ME and CA-ME2. This result suggests that the excessive ${\beta}$-turn structure caused by the Gly-Pro-Gly sequence in CA-ME3 seems to interrupt ion channel/pore formation in the lipid bilayer. We concluded that the appropriate flexibility or bilayer. We concluded that the appropriate flexibility or ${\beta}$-turn structure provided by the central hinge is responsible for the effective antibiotic activity of the antimicrobial peptides with the helix-hinge-helix structure.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.12.1-12.10
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• 2024

Background: Staphylococcus aureus and S. pseudintermedius are the major etiological agents of staphylococcal infections in humans, livestock, and companion animals. The misuse of antimicrobial drugs has led to the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant Staphylococcus spp., including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP). One novel therapeutic approach against MRSA and MRSP is a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) that can bind to the target nucleotide strands and block expression. Previously, two PNAs conjugated with cell-penetrating peptides (P-PNAs), antisense PNA (ASP)-cmk and ASP-deoD, targeting two essential genes in S. aureus, were constructed, and their antibacterial activities were analyzed. Objectives: This study analyzed the combined antibacterial effects of P-PNAs on S. aureus and S. pseudintermedius clinical isolates. Methods: S. aureus ATCC 29740 cells were treated simultaneously with serially diluted ASP-cmk and ASP-deoD, and the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were measured. The combined P-PNA mixture was then treated with S. aureus and S. pseudintermedius veterinary isolates at the determined MIC, and the antibacterial effect was examined. Results: The combined treatment of two P-PNAs showed higher antibacterial activity than the individual treatments. The MICs of two individual P-PNAs were 20 and 25 µM, whereas that of the combined treatment was 10 µM. The application of a combined treatment to clinical Staphylococcus spp. revealed S. aureus isolates to be resistant to P-PNAs and S. pseudintermedius isolates to be susceptible. Conclusions: These observations highlight the complexity of designing ASPs with high efficacy for potential applications in treating staphylococcal infections in humans and animals.