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Production and Visualization of Bacterial Spheroplasts and Protoplasts to Characterize Antimicrobial Peptide Localization
Published on: August 11, 2018
Structure and antimicrobial activity of platypus 'intermediate' defensin-like peptide
Allan M Torres1, Paramjit Bansal2, Jennifer M S Koh3
1Nanoscale Organisation and Dynamics Group, School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia.
Abstract:
The three-dimensional structure of a chemically synthesized peptide that we have called 'intermediate' defensin-like peptide (Int-DLP), from the platypus genome, was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy; and its antimicrobial activity was investigated. The overall structural fold of Int-DLP was similar to that of the DLPs and β-defensins, however the presence of a third antiparallel β-strand makes its structure more similar to the β-defensins than the DLPs. Int-DLP displayed potent antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The four arginine residues at the N-terminus of Int-DLP did not affect the overall fold, but were important for its antimicrobial potency.
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