Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Membrane selectivity by W-tagging of antimicrobial peptides.

Schmidtchen, Artur LU ; Ringstad, Lovisa ; Kasetty, Gopinath LU ; Mizuno, Hiroyasu ; Rutland, Mark W and Malmsten, Martin LU (2011) In Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1808. p.1081-1091
Abstract
A pronounced membrane selectivity is demonstrated for short, hydrophilic, and highly charged antimicrobial peptides, end-tagged with aromatic amino acid stretches. The mechanisms underlying this were investigated by a method combination of fluorescence and CD spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and Langmuir balance measurements, as well as with functional assays on cell toxicity and antimicrobial effects. End-tagging with oligotryptophan promotes peptide-induced lysis of phospholipid liposomes, as well as membrane rupture and killing of bacteria and fungi. This antimicrobial potency is accompanied by limited toxicity for human epithelial cells and low hemolysis. The functional selectivity displayed correlates to a pronounced selectivity of such... (More)
A pronounced membrane selectivity is demonstrated for short, hydrophilic, and highly charged antimicrobial peptides, end-tagged with aromatic amino acid stretches. The mechanisms underlying this were investigated by a method combination of fluorescence and CD spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and Langmuir balance measurements, as well as with functional assays on cell toxicity and antimicrobial effects. End-tagging with oligotryptophan promotes peptide-induced lysis of phospholipid liposomes, as well as membrane rupture and killing of bacteria and fungi. This antimicrobial potency is accompanied by limited toxicity for human epithelial cells and low hemolysis. The functional selectivity displayed correlates to a pronounced selectivity of such peptides for anionic lipid membranes, combined with a markedly reduced membrane activity in the presence of cholesterol. As exemplified for GRR10W4N (GRRPRPRPRPWWWW-NH(2)), potent liposome rupture occurs for anionic lipid systems (dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE)/dioleoylphosphatidylglycerol (DOPG) and Escherichia coli lipid extract) while that of zwitterionic dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC)/cholesterol is largely absent under the conditions investigated. This pronounced membrane selectivity is due to both a lower peptide binding to the zwitterionic membranes (z≈-8-10mV) than to the anionic ones (z≈-35-40mV), and a lower degree of membrane incorporation in the zwitterionic membranes, particularly in the presence of cholesterol. Replacing cholesterol with ergosterol, thus mimicking fungal membranes, results in an increased sensitivity for peptide-induced lysis, in analogy to the antifungal properties of such peptides. Finally, the generality of the high membrane selectivity for other peptides of this type is demonstrated. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta
volume
1808
pages
1081 - 1091
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000289135300008
  • pmid:21192916
  • scopus:79751528906
ISSN
0006-3002
DOI
10.1016/j.bbamem.2010.12.020
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
eb157f2d-eb62-4261-9047-ce9544410da5 (old id 1777974)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21192916?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 09:35:45
date last changed
2022-01-29 18:37:57
@article{eb157f2d-eb62-4261-9047-ce9544410da5,
  abstract     = {{A pronounced membrane selectivity is demonstrated for short, hydrophilic, and highly charged antimicrobial peptides, end-tagged with aromatic amino acid stretches. The mechanisms underlying this were investigated by a method combination of fluorescence and CD spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and Langmuir balance measurements, as well as with functional assays on cell toxicity and antimicrobial effects. End-tagging with oligotryptophan promotes peptide-induced lysis of phospholipid liposomes, as well as membrane rupture and killing of bacteria and fungi. This antimicrobial potency is accompanied by limited toxicity for human epithelial cells and low hemolysis. The functional selectivity displayed correlates to a pronounced selectivity of such peptides for anionic lipid membranes, combined with a markedly reduced membrane activity in the presence of cholesterol. As exemplified for GRR10W4N (GRRPRPRPRPWWWW-NH(2)), potent liposome rupture occurs for anionic lipid systems (dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE)/dioleoylphosphatidylglycerol (DOPG) and Escherichia coli lipid extract) while that of zwitterionic dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC)/cholesterol is largely absent under the conditions investigated. This pronounced membrane selectivity is due to both a lower peptide binding to the zwitterionic membranes (z≈-8-10mV) than to the anionic ones (z≈-35-40mV), and a lower degree of membrane incorporation in the zwitterionic membranes, particularly in the presence of cholesterol. Replacing cholesterol with ergosterol, thus mimicking fungal membranes, results in an increased sensitivity for peptide-induced lysis, in analogy to the antifungal properties of such peptides. Finally, the generality of the high membrane selectivity for other peptides of this type is demonstrated.}},
  author       = {{Schmidtchen, Artur and Ringstad, Lovisa and Kasetty, Gopinath and Mizuno, Hiroyasu and Rutland, Mark W and Malmsten, Martin}},
  issn         = {{0006-3002}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{1081--1091}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Biochimica et Biophysica Acta}},
  title        = {{Membrane selectivity by W-tagging of antimicrobial peptides.}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/5366097/1787859.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.bbamem.2010.12.020}},
  volume       = {{1808}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}