A Potent Host Defense Peptide Triggers DNA Damage and Is Active against Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Pathogens.

ABSTRACT: Gram-negative bacteria are some of the biggest threats to public health due to a large prevalence of antibiotic resistance. The difficulty in treating bacterial infections, stemming from their double membrane structure combined with efflux pumps in the outer membrane, has resulted in a much greater need for antimicrobials with activity against these pathogens. Tunicate host defense peptide (HDP), Clavanin A, is capable of not only inhibiting Gram-negative growth but also potentiating activity in the presence of Zn(II). Here, we provide evidence that the improvements of Clavanin A activity in the presence of Zn(II) are due to its novel mechanism of action. We employed E. coli TD172 (ΔrecA::kan) and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay

SUBMITTER: Juliano SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7772950 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature