Insights on the structure-activity relationship of peptides derived from Sticholysin II

Sticholysin II (StII) is a pore-forming actinoporin from the sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus. A mechanistic model of its action has been proposed: proteins bind to cell membrane, insert their N-termini into the lipid core and assemble into homo-tetramer pores responsible for host-cell death. Because very likely the first 10 residues of StII N-terminus are critical for membrane penetration, to dissect the molecular details of that functionality, we studied two synthetic peptides: StII_1-30 and StII_16-35 . They show diverse haemolytic and candidacidal activity that correlate with distinct orientations in SDS micelles. NMR shows that StII_1-30 partly inserts into the micelle, while StII_16-35 lays on the micelle surface. These results justify the diverse concentration dependence of their candidacidal activity supposing a different mechanism of action and providing new hints on StII lytic activity at molecular level. Biotechnological application of these peptides, focused on the development of therapeutic immunocomplexes, may be envisaged.