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A Live-Cell Fluorescence High-Throughput Screening Method for Antimicrobial Peptides Based on the SpyTag/SpyCatcher
Jin Li1,2, Sai Wen1,2, Fenghuan Wang1,2
1Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health (Beijing Technology and Business University), Ministry of Education, Beijing 100048, China.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
|April 14, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a novel high-throughput screening method for antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) using click chemistry and FRET. This innovation enables efficient functional analysis and optimization of AMP variants for enhanced antimicrobial activity.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are crucial for innate immunity but challenging to design rationally.
- Existing screening methods lack sensitivity and fail to capture the full functional complexity of AMPs, hindering systematic optimization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a sensitive, function-based, high-throughput screening platform for antimicrobial peptides (AMPs).
- To enable real-time assessment of AMPs' cell lytic activity against bacterial targets.
Main Methods:
- Integration of SpyTag/SpyCatcher click biology with fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET).
- Utilized the rapid and specific SpyTag/SpyCatcher interaction for real-time fluorometric detection of AMP-induced bacterial cell lysis.
Main Results:
- Successfully applied the method to an indolicidin proline-scanning library.
- Identified AMP variants with significantly enhanced activity against *E. coli* and *B. subtilis*.
Conclusions:
- Established a robust, high-throughput screening platform for AMPs that accurately reflects functional complexity.
- Provides an efficient and scalable tool for screening AMP libraries and facilitating data-driven optimization and functional analysis.
