Antibacterial peptides and mitochondrial presequences affect mitochondrial coupling, respiration and protein import

Cecropins A and P1, antibacterial peptides from insects and from pig and some related peptides released respiratory control, inhibited protein import and at higher concentrations also inhibited respiration. However, PR-39, an antibacterial peptide from pig intestine, was found to be almost inert towards mitochondria. The concentrations at which the three mitochondrial functions were effected varied for different peptides. Melittin, magainin and Cecropin-A-(1,13)-Melittin(1,13)-NH2, a hybrid between cecropin A and melittin, were most potent, while the two cecropins acted at higher concentrations. The biosynthesis of cecropin A is known and the intermediates are synthesized. We have used four peptides from this pathway to investigate their effects on coupling, respiration and protein import into mitochondria. Mature cecropin A followed by the preproprotein were most aggressive whereas the intermediates were less active or inert. The efficiency of different derivatives of cecropin A as uncouplers correlates well with their capacity to release membrane potential measured as fluorescence quenching of Rhodamine 123. Inhibition of respiration was found to be dependent on membrane potential and was most pronounced with mature cecropin A, less so with its three precursors. We also found that three peptides derived from mitochondrial presequences showed antibacterial activity. It is concluded that, there are similarities in the functions of antibacterial peptides and mitochondrial presequences, uncoupling activity in mitochondria cannot be correlated with the antibacterial activity (contrary to a previous suggestion), the processing of preprocecropin A may have evolved in such a way that there is a minimum of membrane damage from the intermediates in the pathway, and peptides produced for delivery outside of an animal have evolved to be more aggressive against mitochondria than peptides for delivery inside of the animal.