Investigation into the mechanism of action of the antimicrobial peptide epilancin 15X.

ABSTRACT: Addressing the current antibiotic-resistance challenge would be aided by the identification of compounds with novel mechanisms of action. Epilancin 15X, a lantibiotic produced by Staphylococcus epidermidis 15 × 154, displays antimicrobial activity in the submicromolar range against a subset of pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria. S. epidermidis is a common member of the human skin or mucosal microbiota. We here investigated the mechanism of action of epilancin 15X. The compound is bactericidal against Staphylococcus carnosus as well as Bacillus subtilis and appears to kill these bacteria by membrane disruption. Structure-activity relationship studies using engineered analogs show that its conserved positively charged residues and dehydroamino acids are important f

SUBMITTER: Wu C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10652874 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature