Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Peptide antimicrobial agents.

Håvard Jenssen1, Pamela Hamill, Robert E W Hancock

  • 1Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, University of British Columbia, Lower Mall Research Station, 232-2259 Lower Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada.

Clinical Microbiology Reviews
|July 19, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Antimicrobial host defense peptides exhibit broad antiviral and antibacterial activities. Understanding their structure-function relationship aids in designing novel therapeutic peptide variants.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Antimicrobial peptoids pass rapidly through bacterial membranes and flocculate ribosomes and DNA: A single-cell fluorescence study.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Validation of the fermented food frequency questionnaire to assess consumption across four European regions: a study within the promoting innovation of fermented foods cost action.

Frontiers in nutrition·2025
Same author

Self-assembling peptoid-based antimicrobial nanomaterials.

Nanomedicine (London, England)·2025
Same author

Antimicrobial activity of peptoids against Metallo-β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and other WHO priority pathogens, including Candida auris.

Journal of applied microbiology·2025
Same author

The effect of immobilisation strategies on the ability of peptoids to reduce the adhesion of P. aeruginosa strains to contact lenses.

Experimental eye research·2024
Same author

Crafting Stable Antibiotic Nanoparticles via Complex Coacervation of Colistin with Block Copolymers.

Biomacromolecules·2024

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Immunology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Antimicrobial host defense peptides (HDPs) are crucial components of innate immunity across complex organisms and microbes.
  • These peptides possess diverse antimicrobial activities, including antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic functions.
  • Distinguishing between direct microbicidal and indirect pathogen-modulating activities is essential for understanding HDPs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the structural requirements for antiviral and antibacterial activities of host defense peptides.
  • To explore the diverse primary and secondary structures associated with HDPs.
  • To discuss the potential of HDPs as novel therapeutic agents based on structure-function insights.

Main Methods:

  • Review and analysis of existing literature on host defense peptides.
  • Evaluation of structural characteristics (primary and secondary structures) in relation to antimicrobial functions.
  • Discussion of mechanisms of action for various HDPs.

Main Results:

  • Host defense peptides demonstrate a wide spectrum of antimicrobial activities, targeting viruses and bacteria.
  • Structural features of HDPs are critical for their diverse modes of action, encompassing both direct killing and indirect modulation of pathogens.
  • While discussed less, antifungal and antiparasitic activities highlight the broad-spectrum potential of these molecules.

Conclusions:

  • The structure-function relationship of antimicrobial peptides is key to their efficacy.
  • Knowledge of HDP mechanisms and structures facilitates the rational design of novel peptide-based therapeutics.
  • Antimicrobial host defense peptides represent a promising avenue for developing new treatments against infectious diseases.

Related Experiment Videos