Isolation and purification of small antimicrobial peptide from larvae of mealworm, Tenebrio molitor

昆虫抗菌肽具有良好的抑菌效果,有望开发成新一代抗生素.本文以金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠杆菌混合液作为诱导源,采用针刺法使黄粉虫Tenebrio molitor L.幼虫感染微生物产生抗菌肽,并对抗菌肽进行了提取、色谱分离纯化及抑菌活性检测.结果显示,诱导组和对照组的三氟乙酸粗提物无抑菌活性;经SephadexG50、Superdex Peptide凝胶色谱分离后,从诱导组和对照组均可获得对革兰氏阳性菌金黄色葡萄球菌、枯草芽孢杆菌有抑菌作用的组分,而且诱导组活性明显高于对照组;通过Resource 15RPC反相色谱分离纯化,从诱导组获得一具有明显抑制革兰氏阳性菌的组分,质谱检测该组分为混合肽,主要由分子量为1 876.21u、1 904.21u的小肽组成,可能是一种比Thanatin分子量更低的昆虫抗菌肽.     

九香虫抗菌肽CcAMP1的分离纯化和抗菌活性检测

【目的】从药用昆虫九香虫 Coridius chinensis 中分离纯化抗菌肽,为进一步开发九香虫抗菌肽资源及深入挖掘九香虫的药用功能奠定基础。【方法】用大肠杆菌Escherichia coli 和金黄色葡萄球菌 Staphylococcus aureus 混合物作诱导源刺激九香虫产生抗菌肽,对血淋巴进行提取、凝胶过滤层析、固相萃取及反相色谱纯化,活性组分经质谱测定。对分离得到的这种抗菌肽进行人工合成,并进行抗菌活性检测。【结果】本研究获得一种九香虫抗菌肽CcAMP1,由17个氨基酸残基组成,分子量为1 997.37 u,带1个正电荷,表面有5个疏水氨基酸。对人工合成的CcAMP1进行抗菌活性检测表明,该抗菌肽与九香虫血淋巴一样对金黄色葡萄球菌等革兰氏阳性菌和大肠杆菌等革兰氏阴性菌都有较好的抗菌活性,且对革兰氏阴性菌的抗菌活性更强。【结论】从九香虫中分离得到具有较强抗菌活性的阳离子抗菌肽CcAMP1,有较大的开发利用价值。     

棉铃虫幼虫抗菌肽的初步研究*

棉铃虫(Heliothisarmigera)五龄幼虫经大肠杆菌、金黄色葡萄球菌混合菌诱导后,产生抗菌肽,经100℃热处理15min后活性不变,通过琼脂糖孔穴扩散法测定,对革兰氏阴性菌、革兰氏阳性菌以及真菌都具有很强的抑菌活性。CM-Sepharose离子交换层析粗纯化产物经SDS-PAGE测定,其分子量约3kD。     

Cu2+胁迫对黑水虻幼虫抗菌肽组分及抑菌活性的影响

研究不同浓度Cu~(2+)胁迫对黑水虻5龄幼虫抗菌肽分离纯化组分及抑菌活性影响,为黑水虻无害化处理粪便技术的有效实施提供有力的理论依据,为其副产品在饲料、食品及医药研发中的应用提供有价值的实验数据。本文在人工饲料中添加不同浓度Cu~(2+)(0、150、1 200 mg/kg)以饲喂黑水虻幼虫,采用金黄色葡萄球菌针刺法诱导5龄幼虫,断头收集血淋巴,高速冷冻离心结合超滤离心制备抗菌肽粗提物;利用RP-HPLC对三组抗菌肽粗提物进行分离纯化,收集各纯化峰对应组分,采用纸片琼脂扩散法测定各纯化峰对应组分的抑菌效果,以阐述Cu~(2+)胁迫对黑水虻抗菌肽的影响。结果表明,经Cu~(2+)胁迫,抗菌肽粗提物分离纯化后各组分的出峰时间及峰面积所占比例均不同,不同处理浓度下各分离组分第2峰面积均大于第1峰面积,其中150-2峰面积最大,为73.31%;分离纯化后所得6个组分对金黄色葡萄球菌、大肠杆菌及白色念珠菌均有抑菌活性,对金黄色葡萄球菌、白色念珠菌的抑菌活性显著高于对大肠杆菌抑菌活性,但其对金黄色葡萄球菌及白色念珠菌的抑菌活性未见显著差异;与其他5个组分相比,组分150-2对金黄色葡萄球菌、白色念珠菌及大肠杆菌抑菌活性最强,抑菌直径分别为27.85±0.74 mm、28.34±0.76 mm、21.97±0.54 mm。由此可见,不同浓度的Cu~(2+)胁迫对黑水虻幼虫抗菌肽组分及抑菌活性均产生显著影响,其中组分150-2抑菌活性最强,具有很好的开发潜能。     

沼水蛙抗菌肽brevinin-2GHa1分离纯化及结构分析

目前,已自青蛙皮肤分泌物中分离获得多种具有较强抗菌活性的多肽．本文利用电刺激法自沼水蛙背腺和耳后腺获得其皮肤分泌物,利用凝胶过滤色谱(Sephadex G-50)和反相高效液相色谱 (reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography, RP-HPLC)分离纯化,获得一种新型抗菌肽,命名为brevinin- 2GHa1. 抑菌实验显示,该抗菌肽对革兰氏阳性菌和革兰氏阴性菌均有抑制作用,对大肠杆菌、金黄色葡萄球菌、枯草芽孢杆菌和沙门氏菌的最小抑制浓度分别为： 7.8、3.9、2.0 μg/mL和250.0 μg/mL. 该抗菌肽在水中为无规卷曲结构,在浓度为10 mmol/L SDS水溶液和不同浓度三氟乙醇水溶液中则呈α-螺旋结构,该抗菌肽结构的研究对阐明其抑菌机制具有重要作用.     

黄鳍金枪鱼抗菌肽YFGAP在大肠杆菌中融合表达及其活性检测

【目的】抗菌肽YFGAP由32个氨基酸组成,分子量为3.4 kD,对革兰氏阳性菌(G+)和革兰氏阴性菌(G?)表现出强效的抑制作用,不具有溶血活性。在大肠杆菌中表达抗菌肽YFGAP,分离纯化抗菌肽并鉴定其生物学活性。【方法】化学合成EK-YFGAP和L-EK-YFGAP基因序列,构建表达载体pET22b-ELP20-EK-YFGAP、pET22b-ELP40-EK-YFGAP和pET22b-ELP40-L-EK- YFGAP,分别转化至大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中诱导表达,可逆相变循环纯化融合蛋白。肠激酶酶切,经Vivaspin Turbo纯化柱纯化,测定重组抗菌肽的抑菌活性和溶血活性。【结果】纯化出两种融合蛋白ELP40-EK-YFGAP和ELP40-L-EK-YFGAP,肠激酶酶切纯化后获得重组抗菌肽YFGAP,对4种病原菌均有抑制效果,溶血活性较低。【结论】以ELPs作为非色谱纯化标签,实现了抗菌肽YFGAP的融合表达,具有操作简单、成本低、易于扩大的优势,为重组抗菌肽的量化制备及应用提供了理论基础和技术支持。     

家蝇天然抗菌肽的分离纯化与活性分析

目的:纯化得到有抗菌活性的家蝇天然抗菌肽。方法:以革兰氏阴性菌(大肠杆菌)和革兰氏阳性菌(金黄色葡萄球菌)的混合菌液,在未灭活的情况下对家蝇幼虫实施带菌针刺以诱导抗菌肽的大量表达。采用固相萃取(SPE),得到三个对大肠杆菌和金黄色葡萄球菌均有强烈抑制作用的组分Sp1、Sp3和Sp8。用反相高效液相色谱(RP-HPLC)对活性最强的Sp1进行了纯化,液体生长抑制法证明其中的组分Ⅲ具有最强活性。毛细管电泳(CE)显示该组分由两种物质组成。结果和结论:家蝇血淋巴中存在大量有抗菌活性的物质。该研究利用SPE和RP-HPLC与CE联用的方法,得到了有较强抗菌活性和较宽抗菌谱的粗提物,并获得一个推测由两种阳离子型抗菌肽组成的成分,为后期研究打下了基础。     

棉铃虫幼虫抗菌肽的初步研究

棉铃虫（Heliothis armigera）五龄幼虫经大肠杆菌、金美色葡萄球菌混合菌诱导后,产生抗菌肽,经100％热处理15min后活性不变,通过琼脂糖孔穴扩散法测定,对革兰氏阴性菌、革兰氏阳性菌以及真菌都具有很强的抑菌活性。CM-Scpharose离子交换层析粗纯化产物经SDS-PAGE测定,其分子量约3kD。     

家蝇幼虫抗菌肽的超声诱导及分离纯化和活性研究

目的:分离纯化家蝇(Musca domestica)幼虫免疫血淋巴中的抗菌肽,研究抗菌肽的性质和抑菌特性.为进一步研究家蝇幼虫抗菌肽的产生及应用提供实验基础.方法:通过超声处理诱导家蝇幼虫产生免疫血淋巴,经沸水浴热变性,结合高速离心,两步CM-Sepharose离子交换层析,冷冻干燥浓缩等步骤,分离得到一种具抗菌活性的蛋白质.用Tricine-SDS-PAGE鉴定抗菌肽的纯度和性质,抑菌试验分析抗菌肽的抑菌特性.结果:300W,50Hz超声处理60s能够诱导家蝇幼虫产生抗菌肽,经分离纯化后Tricine-SDS-PAGE凝胶电泳结果显示为一条带,相对分子量大约为5.8kD.纯化蛋白对阴沟肠杆菌,绿脓杆菌等G-杆菌的抑菌活性较强,而对金黄色葡萄球菌效果不显著.结论:诱导和纯化了一种家蝇幼虫抗菌肽,为此类活性物质的分离纯化提供了有效的方式.     

细菌诱导对昆虫细胞系NIH-SaPe-4生长与抗菌蛋白活性的影响

离体昆虫细胞系在昆虫免疫、抗菌肽及蛋白研究和药物开发方面具有较好的应用前景。该文对双翅目麻蝇科麻蝇成虫卵巢胚细胞系NIH-SaPe-4在藤黄微球菌诱导和非诱导条件下,细胞密度和活力的变化、诱导对细胞生长的影响、抗菌活性及其活性随时间的变化关系等进行了研究,并对所得抗菌蛋白进行了初步分离纯化和稳定性评估。结果表明,诱导使得细胞密度增长减缓,活力变弱。诱导和非诱导组细胞均可产生对3种革兰氏阳性菌具有抑菌活性的抗菌蛋白,其中对藤黄微球菌的抑菌活性最明显;诱导组细胞抗菌蛋白活性出现时间、稳定期抑菌活性均大于非诱导组,诱导菌消失一段时间后抗菌活性恢复到同等水平。抗菌蛋白具有酸碱稳定性和热稳定性。2组抗菌蛋白粗提液经凝胶、反相分离纯化后均得到一种60 kDa左右的抗菌蛋白,诱导组电泳后条带亮度大于非诱导组。该研究为昆虫细胞抗菌蛋白性质、分离纯化等研究奠定了科学基础。     

抗菌肽临床应用前景分析

抗菌肽是生物天然免疫的重要组成部分,几乎存在于所有种类的生物中。目前已发现的抗菌肽超过2 000种。抗菌肽具有广谱抗菌活性,对大多数革兰氏阳性菌、革兰氏阴性菌和真菌具有强大的抑制作用（包括多药物耐受微生物）,而且这种作用具有较好的选择性。这些特点使抗菌肽具有成为抗感染药物的重大潜力;但抗菌肽的临床应用也面临着一些困难,如抗菌肽大量生产、体内稳定性、微生物耐受等。对抗菌肽临床应用面临的问题及正在进行临床研究和临床前研究的抗菌肽做一简要综述。     

Multiple peptide resistance factor (MprF)-mediated Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus against antimicrobial peptides coincides with a modulated peptide interaction with artificial membranes comprising lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol

Modification of the membrane lipid phosphatidylglycerol (PG) of Staphylococcus aureus by enzymatic transfer of a l-lysine residue leading to lysyl-PG converts the net charge of PG from -1 to +1 and is thought to confer resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Lysyl-PG synthesis and translocation to the outer leaflet of the bacterial membrane are achieved by the membrane protein MprF. Consequently, mutants lacking a functional mprF gene are in particular vulnerable to the action of AMPs. Hence, we aim at elucidating whether and to which extent lysyl-PG modulates membrane binding, insertion, and permeabilization by various AMPs. Lysyl-PG was incorporated into artificial lipid bilayers, mimicking the cytoplasmic membrane of S. aureus. Moreover, we determined the activity of the peptides against a clinical isolate of S. aureus strain SA113 and two mutants lacking a functional mprF gene and visualized peptide-induced ultrastructural changes of bacteria by transmission electron microscopy. The studied peptides were: (i) NK-2, an α-helical fragment of mammalian NK-lysin, (ii) arenicin-1, a lugworm β-sheet peptide, and (iii) bee venom melittin. Biophysical data obtained by FRET spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and electrical measurements with planar lipid bilayers were correlated with the biological activities of the peptides. They strongly support the hypothesis that peptide-membrane interactions are a prerequisite for eradication of S. aureus. However, degree and mode of modulation of membrane properties such as fluidity, capacitance, and conductivity were unique for each of the peptides. Altogether, our data support and underline the significance of lysyl-PG for S. aureus resistance to AMPs.     

Antimicrobial properties and death-inducing mechanisms of saccharomycin,a biocide secreted by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis>

We recently found that Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain CCMI 885) secretes antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) derived from the glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) that are active against various wine-related yeast and bacteria. Here, we show that several other S. cerevisiae strains also secrete natural biocide fractions during alcoholic fermentation, although at different levels, which correlates with the antagonistic effect exerted against non-Saccharomyces yeasts. We, therefore, term this biocide saccharomycin. The native AMPs were purified by gel-filtration chromatography and its antimicrobial activity was compared to that exhibited by chemically synthesized analogues (AMP1 and AMP2/3). Results show that the antimicrobial activity of the native AMPs is significantly higher than that of the synthetic analogues (AMP1 and AMP2/3), but a conjugated action of the two synthetic peptides is observed. Moreover, while the natural AMPs are active at pH 3.5, the synthetic peptides are not, since they are anionic and cannot dissolve at this acidic pH. These findings suggest that the molecular structure of the native biocide probably involves the formation of aggregates of several peptides that render them soluble under acidic conditions. The death mechanisms induced by the AMPs were also evaluated by means of epifluorescence microscopy-based methods. Sensitive yeast cells treated with the synthetic AMPs show cell membrane disruption, apoptotic molecular markers, and internalization of the AMPs. In conclusion, our work shows that saccharomycin is a natural biocide secreted by S. cerevisiae whose activity depends on the conjugated action of GAPDH-derived peptides. This study also reveals that S. cerevisiae secretes GAPDH-derived peptides as a strategy to combat other microbial species during alcoholic fermentations.     

Synthetic peptides derived from human antimicrobial peptide ubiquicidin accumulate at sites of infections and eradicate (multi-drug resistant) Staphylococcus aureus in mice

The presence and antimicrobial activity of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) has been widely recognized as an evolutionary preserved part of the innate immune system. Based on evidence in animal models and humans, AMPs are now positioned as novel anti-infective agents. The current study aimed to evaluate the potential antimicrobial activity of ubiquicidin and small synthetic fragments thereof towards methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), as a high priority target for novel antibiotics. In vitro killing of MRSA by synthetic peptides derived from the alpha-helix or beta-sheet domains of the human cationic peptide ubiquicidin (UBI 1-59), allowed selection of AMPs for possible treatment of MRSA infections. The strongest antibacterial activity was observed for the entire peptide UBI 1-59 and for synthetic fragments comprising amino acids 31-38. The availability, chemical synthesis opportunities, and size of these small peptides, combined with their strong antimicrobial activity towards MRSA make these compounds promising candidates for antimicrobial therapy and detection of infections in man.     

Potent Anti-Candida Fraction Isolated from Capsicum chinense Fruits Contains an Antimicrobial Peptide That is Similar to Plant Defensin and is Able to Inhibit the Activity of Different α-Amylase Enzymes

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are molecules present in several life forms, possess broad-spectrum of inhibitory activity against pathogenic microorganisms, and are a promising alternative to combat the multidrug resistant pathogens. The aim of this work was to identify and characterize AMPs from Capsicum chinense fruits and to evaluate their inhibitory activities against yeasts of the genus Candida and α-amylases. Initially, after protein extraction from fruits, the extract was submitted to anion exchange chromatography resulting two fractions. Fraction D1 was further fractionated by molecular exclusion chromatography, and three fractions were obtained. These fractions showed low molecular mass peptides, and in fraction F3, only two protein bands of approximately 6.5 kDa were observed. Through mass spectrometry, we identified that the lowest molecular mass protein band of fraction F3 showed similarity with AMPs from plant defensin family. We named this peptide CcDef3 (Capsicum chinense defensin 3). The antifungal activity of these fractions was analyzed against yeasts of the genus Candida. At 200 μg/mL, fraction F1 inhibited the growth of C. tropicalis by 26%, fraction F2 inhibited 35% of the growth of C. buinensis, and fraction F3 inhibited all tested yeasts, exhibiting greater inhibition activity on the growth of the yeast C. albicans (86%) followed by C. buinensis (69%) and C. tropicalis (21%). Fractions F1 and F2 promoted membrane permeabilization of all tested yeasts and increased the endogenous induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in C. buinensis and C. tropicalis, respectively. We also observed that fraction F3 at a concentration of 50 µg/mL inhibited the α-amylase activities of Tenebrio molitor larvae by 96% and human salivary by 100%. Thus, our results show that fraction F3, which contains CcDef3, is a very promising protein fraction because it has antifungal potential and is able to inhibit the activity of different α-amylase enzymes.

     

细菌对抗菌肽的耐受机制

抗菌肽广谱、高特异、高生物活性等特点决定其具极大的临床应用潜力,然而抗菌肽的耐受是其药物开发必须重视和亟待克服的问题。从生物学的观点看,部分细菌可以产生抗菌肽,其必定存在逃避自身抗菌肽作用的机制;从进化的观点看,宿主和病原体之间是相互抑制、相互逃避、相互适应的关系,细菌在漫长的进化中会形成应对抗菌肽的特殊机制。抗菌肽对细菌存在多种作用机制,其核心是依赖于与细胞膜相互作用或进入细胞,进而改变膜完整性或干扰胞内生理生化反应导致细菌死亡;而细菌通过减弱抗菌肽结合、降低抗菌肽有效浓度等方式产生对抗菌肽的耐受。这些耐受机制也为抗菌肽类药物开发提供重要的启示。     

The human anionic antimicrobial peptide dermcidin induces proteolytic defence mechanisms in staphylococci

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a key component of innate host defence against bacterial pathogens. Bacterial resistance mechanisms usually depend on the characteristic positive charge of AMPs. However, several human cell types also produce anionic AMPs, mechanisms of resistance to which are poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that the skin commensal and leading nosocomial pathogen Staphylococcus epidermidis senses and efficiently inactivates the anionic AMP dermcidin. Dermcidin induced differential expression of global regulatory systems, leading to increased expression of proteases with the capacity to degrade dermcidin, particularly S. epidermidis SepA. A similar induction of extracellular proteolytic activity was found in Staphylococcus aureus, suggesting a common regulatory mechanism in staphylococci. Notably, human cationic AMPs also led to the activation of global regulators, but inactivation of dermcidin by SepA was much more effective than of the tested cationic peptides. The ability to react to the unusual, anionic dermcidin with effective countermeasures likely contributes to the extraordinary success of staphylococci as colonizers and infective agents on human epithelia. Our study indicates that staphylococci can react to human AMPs by specific mechanisms of resistance and establishes a crucial role for staphylococcal proteases in the interaction with human innate host defence.     

Binding kinetics of grouper nervous necrosis viruses with functionalized antimicrobial peptides by nanomechanical detection

We report the binding kinetics of fish-infected grouper nervous necrosis viruses (NNV) and selected antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) by nanomechanical detection. AMPs, the vital member in an innate immunity, are promising candidates in the fight against pathogens due to their broad range of antimicrobial activity and low toxicity. Grouper NNV primarily cause mass mortality of many marine cultured fish species, and two selected AMPs in this study were found to inhibit viruses by agglutinating its virions to form aggregates. The binding activity of NNVs with functionalized AMPs onto a sensing microcantilever yielded induced surface stresses, indicating high binding strength of molecular interaction. The binding affinity and kinetic rate constants of molecular recognition events calculated for NNV-AMP(TH1-5) compared to NNV-AMP(cSALF) were found to be 2.1-fold and 4.43-fold, respectively, indicating TH1-5 effectively bind with NNV more than cSALF. Moreover, a microscopic X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy technique was employed for further validation of pre- and post-NNV binding onto peptides-functionalized sensing surface. An increase in the spectrum and intensity of the P 2p and N 1s elements for the post-NNV binding was clearly shown to ensure the existence of phosphate groups and nitrogen-containing ring structures of specific NNV-TH1-5 interaction. Therefore, the microcantilever biosensing technique provides a potential and useful screening of AMPs for affinity to NNVs.     

Effect of PhoP-PhoQ activation by broad repertoire of antimicrobial peptides on bacterial resistance

Pathogenic bacteria can resist their microenvironment by changing the expression of virulence genes. In Salmonella typhimurium, some of these genes are controlled by the two-component system PhoP-PhoQ. Studies have shown that activation of the system by cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) results, among other changes, in outer membrane remodeling. However, it is not fully clear what characteristics of AMPs are required to activate the PhoP-PhoQ system and whether activation can induce resistance to the various AMPs. For that purpose, we investigated the ability of a broad repertoire of AMPs to traverse the inner membrane, to activate the PhoP-PhoQ system, and to induce bacterial resistance. The AMPs differ in length, composition, and net positive charge, and the tested bacteria include two wild-type (WT) Salmonella strains and their corresponding PhoP-PhoQ knock-out mutants. A lacZ-reporting system was adapted to follow PhoP-PhoQ activation. The data revealed that: (i) a good correlation exists among the extent of the positive charge, hydrophobicity, and amphipathicity of an AMP and its potency to activate PhoP-PhoQ; (ii) a +1 charged peptide containing histidines was highly potent, suggesting the existence of an additional mechanism independent of the peptide charge; (iii) the WT bacteria are more resistant to AMPs that are potent activators of PhoP-PhoQ; (iv) only a subset of AMPs, independent of their potency to activate the system, is more toxic to the mutated bacteria compared with the WT strains; and (v) short term exposure of WT bacteria to these AMPs does not enhance resistance. Overall, this study advances our understanding of the molecular mechanism by which AMPs activate PhoP-PhoQ and induce bacterial resistance. It also reveals that some AMPs can overcome such a resistance mechanism.