Helical 1:1 α/Sulfono-γ-AA Heterogeneous Peptides with Antibacterial Activity

Biomacromolecules. 2016 May 9;17(5):1854-9. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.6b00286. Epub 2016 Apr 13.

Abstract

As one of the greatest threats facing the 21st century, antibiotic resistance is now a major public health concern. Host-defense peptides (HDPs) offer an alternative approach to combat emerging multi-drug-resistant bacteria. It is known that helical HDPs such as magainin 2 and its analogs adopt cationic amphipathic conformations upon interaction with bacterial membranes, leading to membrane disruption and subsequent bacterial cell death. We have previously shown that amphipathic sulfono-γ-AApeptides could mimic magainin 2 and exhibit bactericidal activity. In this article, we demonstrate for the first time that amphipathic helical 1:1 α/sulfono-γ-AA heterogeneous peptides, in which regular amino acids and sulfono-γ-AApeptide building blocks are alternatively present in a 1:1 pattern, display potent antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) suggests that the lead sequences adopt defined helical structures. The subsequent studies including fluorescence microscopy and time-kill experiments indicate that these hybrid peptides exert antimicrobial activity by mimicking the mechanism of HDPs. Our findings may lead to the development of HDP-mimicking antimicrobial peptidomimetics that combat drug-resistant bacterial pathogens. In addition, our results also demonstrate the effective design of a new class of helical foldamer, which could be employed to interrogate other important biological targets such as protein-protein interactions in the future.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Bacteria / drug effects*
  • Hemolysis / drug effects*
  • Humans
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Peptide Fragments / chemistry*
  • Peptide Fragments / pharmacology*
  • Peptidomimetics
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Sulfones / chemistry*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Peptidomimetics
  • Sulfones