Cryptdin-4 (crp4) is an enteric α-defensin derived from mice, and is a main mediator of immunity to oral infections and a determinant of the composition of the intestinal microbiota. Structurally, crp4 exists in two states: the oxidized form (crp4oxi), constrained by three invariant disulfide bonds, and the reduced form (crp4red) with six free thiol groups, both of which exist in the intestinal tract. In this study, the antibacterial mechanisms of crp4 in both forms under aerobic and anaerobic conditions were investigated using Escherichia coli (E. coli), an anaerobic facultative bacterium, as a model. Fluorescent dye studies revealed that both crp4oxi and crp4red exhibited antimicrobial activity against cells cultured under aerobic conditions via rapid membrane depolarization. Furthermore, the antioxidant treatment experiments suggested that only crp4oxi exhibited antimicrobial activity by the induction and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, under anaerobic culture conditions, the ability of both forms to disrupt the function of bacterial membranes decreased and activity was greatly reduced, but crp4red maintained some antimicrobial activity. This activity may be due to the inhibition of intracellular functions by DNA binding. Altogether, these data indicate that, according to its redox structure and the environmental redox conditions, crp4 could perform different antimicrobial activities via different mechanisms.
Keywords: Escherichia coli; antimicrobial peptide; defensin; membrane disruption; oxidative stress.