Combining topology and sequence design for the discovery of potent antimicrobial peptide dendrimers against multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract

Multidrug-resistant opportunistic bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, represent a major public health threat. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and related peptidomimetic systems offer an attractive opportunity to control these pathogens. AMP dendrimers (AMPDs) with high activity against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii were now identified by a systematic survey of the peptide sequences within the branches of a distinct type of third-generation peptide dendrimers. Combined topology and peptide sequence design as illustrated here represents a new and general strategy to discover new antimicrobial agents to fight multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens.

Keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa; antibiotics; antimicrobial peptides; dendrimers; peptides.