Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Antimicrobial Peptides Produced by Selective Pressure Incorporation of Non-canonical Amino Acids
Published on: May 4, 2018
Antibacterial and hemolytic activities of single tryptophan analogs of indolicidin
C Subbalakshmi1, E Bikshapathy, N Sitaram
1Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 007, India.
Abstract:
The structure and biological activities of analogs of the bovine neutrophil antibacterial and hemolytic peptide indolicidin, ILPWKWPWWPWRR-amide, where one tryptophan at 4th, 8th, or 11th position has been retained and the others replaced by leucine, have been investigated. All the single tryptophan analogs exhibit antibacterial activity. However, unlike indolicidin, they do not lyse erythrocytes. Structure analysis by circular dichroism spectroscopy indicates that the analogs are unordered in aqueous medium and adopt beta-turn structures in trifluoroethanol and micelles. The tryptophan residues in indolicidin appear to be essential for hemolytic activity but not antibacterial activity. The nonspecific biological activities of indolicidin and specific antibacterial activity of single tryptophan analogs suggest that in short peptides, a motif composed of hydrophobic amino acids with the exception of tryptophan, interspaced with proline residues and cationic amino acids at the N or C termini would favor selective antibacterial activity.
More Related Videos
07:30A Direct, Regioselective and Atom-Economical Synthesis of 3-Aroyl-N-hydroxy-5-nitroindoles by Cycloaddition of 4-Nitronitrosobenzene with Alkynones
Published on: January 21, 2020
10:24Identification of Potential Anti-TB Candidates: A Step-by-Step Guide to Synthesis, MIC Determination, and Cytotoxicity Assessment in Mammalian Cells
Published on: May 22, 2026
Related Concept Videos
Aryldiazonium Salts to Azo Dyes: Diazo Coupling
Antimicrobial Proteins
Interferons
Interferons (IFNs) are proteins produced by lymphocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts infected with viruses. While IFNs cannot prevent viruses from entering and...
Inhibitors of Gram-positive Cell Wall Synthesis
Inhibitors of Bacterial Protein Synthesis
Inhibitors of Bacterial DNA Synthesis
Antiprotozoal Agents