Structural and Functional Mimicry of the Antimicrobial Defensin Plectasin by Analogues with Engineered Backbone Composition.

ABSTRACT: The threat posed by bacteria resistant to common antibiotics creates an urgent need for novel antimicrobials. Non-ribosomal peptide natural products that bind Lipid II, such as vancomycin, represent a promising source for such agents. The fungal defensin plectasin is one of a family of ribosomally produced miniproteins that also exert antimicrobial activity via Lipid II binding. Made up entirely of canonical amino acids, these molecules are potentially more susceptible to degradation by protease enzymes than non-ribosomal counterparts. Here, we report the development of proteomimetic variants of plectasin through the systematic incorporation of artificial backbone connectivity in the domain. An iterative secondary-structure-based design scheme yields a variant with a tertiary fold indistin

SUBMITTER: Harmon TW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11875557 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature