Magainins, a class of antimicrobial peptides from Xenopus skin: isolation, characterization of two active forms, and partial cDNA sequence of a precursor
TLDR
A family of peptides with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity has been isolated from the skin of the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis and appears to represent a previously unrecognized class of vertebrate antimicrobial activities.Abstract:
A family of peptides with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity has been isolated from the skin of the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis. It consists of two closely related peptides that are each 23 amino acids and differ by two substitutions. These peptides are water soluble, nonhemolytic at their effective antimicrobial concentrations, and potentially amphiphilic. At low concentrations they inhibit growth of numerous species of bacteria and fungi and induce osmotic lysis of protozoa. The sequence of a partial cDNA of the precursor reveals that both peptides derive from a common larger protein. These peptides appear to represent a previously unrecognized class of vertebrate antimicrobial activities.read more
Citations
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Antimicrobial peptides of multicellular organisms
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Antimicrobial peptides: pore formers or metabolic inhibitors in bacteria?
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Peptide Antimicrobial Agents
TL;DR: The structural requirements of peptides for antiviral and antibacterial activities are evaluated in light of the diverse set of primary and secondary structures described for host defense peptides.
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Mechanism of the binding, insertion and destabilization of phospholipid bilayer membranes by alpha-helical antimicrobial and cell non-selective membrane-lytic peptides.
TL;DR: This review, which is focused on the different stages of membrane permeation induced by representatives of amphipathic alpha-helical antimicrobial and cell non-selective lytic peptides distinguishes between the 'carpet' mechanism, which holds for antimicrobial peptides versus the 'barrel-stave' mechanisms, which hold for cellnon- selective lytics peptides.
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Agents that increase the permeability of the outer membrane.
TL;DR: Chelators (such as EDTA, nitrilotriacetic acid, and sodium hexametaphosphate), which disintegrate the outer membrane by removing Mg2+ and Ca2+, are effective and valuable permeabilizers.
References
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Tomas Ganz,Michael E. Selsted,D Szklarek,Sylvia S. L. Harwig,Kathleen A. Daher,D F Bainton,Robert I. Lehrer +6 more
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