• BMB Reports
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.545-548
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• 1996

CA(1-8)ME(1-12), the CA-ME hybrid peptide of the amino terminal segments of cecropin A (CA) and melittin (ME), has been reported to have a broad spectrum and improved potency without a hemolytic property. In order to obtain new synthetic peptides with powerful antibacterial activity without hemolytic activity, several hybrid peptides were designed from the sequences of CA, ME, magainin 2, bombinin and lactoferricin. All hybrid peptides were constructed to form an amphipathically basic-flexible-hydrophobic structure and synthesized by the solid phase method. Their hemolytic activities against human red blood cells and antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were detennined. CA(1-8)MA(1-12), CA(1-8)BO(1-12), MA(10-17)ME(1-12) and LF(20-29)ME(1-12) showed comparable activities with broad spectra against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria relative to CA(1-8)ME(1-12) but without hemolytic properties. These hybrid peptides, therefore, could be useful as model peptides to design a novel peptide with improved antibacterial activity and study on structure-activity relationships of antimicrobial peptides.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.49-51
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• 1997

In order to obtain a hybrid synthetic peptide with a more potent antifungal activity than magainin-2 but without hemolytic activity, four hybrid peptides were designed from the sequences of magainin 2 and cecropin A and their antifungal activities against Trichosporon beigelii were investigated. The result showed that analogue 2 and 4 exhibited better antifungal activity against T. beigelii than magainin-2 but no hemolytic activities. The peptides, therefore, could be used as models for the development of potent antifungal peptides.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.529-533
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• 1996

Melittin (ME) from honeybee venom has a broad range of strong antimicrobial activity, but it has hemolytic activity against eukaryotic cells. In order to design peptides with powerful antifungal activity without cytotoxic property of ME and understand structure-antifungal activity relationships, the hybrid peptides derived from the sequences of ME and cecropin A (CA) or magainin 2 (MA), MA(10-17)ME(1-12) and CA(1-8)ME(1-12). were synthesized by solid phase method. MA(10-17)ME(1-12) showed potent antifungal activity comparable to ME against Fusarium oxysporum with no hemolytic activity against human red blood cells. The hybrid peptides showed strong inhibi- tion of (1, 3)-$\beta$-D-glucan synthase. This result indicates that the antifungal activity of the hybrid peptides against Fusarium oxysporum is attributed to the inhibition of cell wall synthesis. The results therefore showed a successful design of a peptide having antifungal activity without hemolytic property.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.21-24
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• 1997

The hybrid peptides, CA-ME, CA-MA and CA-BO, with the N-terminal sequence 1-8 of cecropin A and the N-terminal sequences 1-12 of melittin, magainin 2 and bombinin, respectively, have more improved antibacterial activities. CA-MA was found to have stronger antifungal activity against Trichoderma sp than other hybrid peptides and their parental peptides. In order to elucidate the relationships between the peptide structure and antifungal activity, several analogues of CA-MA or CA-BO were also designed and synthesized by the solid phase method. An tifungal activity was measured against T. reesei and T. viride, and hemolytic activity was measured by a solution method against human red blood cells. The residue 16 of CA-MA, Ser, was found to be important for antifungal activity. When the residue was substituted with Leu, showed powerful antifungal activity was dramatically decreased. CA-MA, P1, P4 and P5 designed in this study showed powerful antifungal activity against T. reesei and T. viride with low hemolytic activity against human red blood cells. These hybrid peptides will be potentially useful model to further design peptides with powerful antifungal activity for the effective therepy of fungal infection and understand the mechanisms of antifungal actions of hybrid peptides.

• Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.761-769
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• 2018

BACKGROUND: Bioprinting has recently appeared as a powerful tool for building complex tissue and organ structures. However, the application of bioprinting to regenerative medicine has limitations, due to the restricted choices of bio-ink for cytocompatible cell encapsulation and the integrity of the fabricated structures. METHODS: In this study, we developed hybrid bio-inks based on acrylated hyaluronic acid (HA) for immobilizing bio-active peptides and tyramine-conjugated hyaluronic acids for fast gelation. RESULTS: Conventional acrylated HA-based hydrogels have a gelation time of more than 30 min, whereas hybrid bio-ink has been rapidly gelated within 200 s. Fibroblast cells cultured in this hybrid bio-ink up to 7 days showed >90% viability. As a guidance cue for stem cell differentiation, we immobilized four different bio-active peptides: BMP-7-derived peptides (BMP-7D) and osteopontin for osteogenesis, and substance-P (SP) and Ac-SDKP (SDKP) for angiogenesis. Mesenchymal stem cells cultured in these hybrid bio-inks showed the highest angiogenic and osteogenic activity cultured in bio-ink immobilized with a SP or BMP-7D peptide. This bio-ink was loaded in a three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting device showing reproducible printing features. CONCLUSION: We have developed bio-inks that combine biochemical and mechanical cues. Biochemical cues were able to regulate differentiation of cells, and mechanical cues enabled printing structuring. This multi-functional bio-ink can be used for complex tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.92-97
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• 2012

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important components of living organisms acting against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial and fungal pathogens. Cathelicidin human peptides have a variety of biological activities that can be used in clinical applications. AMPs are not produced naturally in large quantities, and chemical synthesis is also economically impractical, especially for long peptides. Therefore, as an alternative, heterologous expression of AMPs by recombinant techniques has been studied as a means to reduce production costs. E. coli is an excellent host for the expression of AMPs, as well as other recombinant proteins, because of the low cost involved and its easy manipulation. However, overexpression of AMPs in E. coli has been shown to cause difficulties resulting from the toxicity of the subsequently produced AMPs. Therefore, fusion expression was theorized to be a solution to this problem. In this study, AMPs were expressed as fused proteins with the glutathione S-transferase (GST) binding protein to protect against the toxicity of AMPs when expressed in E. coli. The LL37, and hybrid gaegurin and LL37 (GGN4(1-16)-LL37(17-32), which we designated as GL32, peptides were expressed as GST-fusion proteins in E. coli and the fusion proteins were then purified by affinity columns. The purified peptides were obtained by removal of GST and were confirmed by western blot analysis. The purified antimicrobial peptides then demonstrated antimicrobial activities against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 1999.06a
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• pp.32-32
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• 1999

Cecropin A(1-8)-magainin 2(1-12) and cecropm A(1-8)-melittin(1-12) hybrid peptides were known to have potent antitumor and antibacterial activity. In particular, cecropm A(l-8)-magainin 2(1-12) has powerful antibacterial and antitumor activity with no hemolytic effect.(omitted)

• Proceedings of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society Conference
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• 1999.06a
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• pp.29-29
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• 1999

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.170-174
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• 1997

In order to design a novel synthetic peptide with improved fungicidal activity but low hemolytic activity, a hybrid peptide, cecropin A(l-8)-magainin 2(1-12), and its analogue peptides were synthesized by the solid phase method. Antifungal and hemolytic activities of the synthetic peptides were assessed by the growth inhibition against Trichosporon beigelii and the cell membrane lysis against human red hlood cells, respectively. Analogue 2 in which Lys at position 12 in cecropin A(1-8)-magainin 2(1-12) was substituted with Ala showed most potent antifungal activity (MIC: 2.5.$\mu$g/ml) with minimal hemolytic activity (0.5% hemolysis at the (200.$\mu$g/ml peptide). This peptide (A2), therefore, could be useful as a model for further designing potent antifungal peptides without cytotoxicity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.328-333
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• 2008

A series of pep tides binding to the HCV NS5B polymerase was selected from phage display peptide libraries. A conserved motif of Ser-Arg-X-Arg/Leu was identified among the selected peptides, and Pep2 (Trp-Ser-Arg-Pro-Arg-Ser-Leu) was chosen for further characterization. The binding of Pep2 to HCV NS5B in vivo was shown by a yeast two-hybrid assay and by subcellular colocalization analysis using immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. The in vitro interaction was also confirmed by GST pulldown assay. The replication of the HCV 1b subgenomic replicon was efficiently inhibited by the presence of the peptide. By using a subtractive biopanning against Pep2, the binding site of the peptide was mapped at the pocket of Pro388 to Pro391 in the thumb subdomain of the polymerase. A yeast two-hybrid analysis using Pro388Ala and Pro391Ala mutants of NS5B confirmed the binding.