Isolation of antibiotics turbomycin a and B from a metagenomic library of soil microbial DNA

To access the genetic and biochemical potential of soil microorganisms by culture-independent methods, a 24,546-member library in Escherichia coli with DNA extracted directly from soil had previously been constructed (M. R. Rondon, P. R. August, A. D. Bettermann, S. F. Brady, T. H. Grossman, M. R. Liles, K. A. Loiacono, B. A. Lynch, I. A. MacNeil, M. S. Osburne, J. Clardy, J. Handelsman, and R. M. Goodman, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66:2541-2547, 2000). Three clones, P57G4, P89C8, and P214D2, produced colonies with a dark brown melanin-like color. We fractionated the culture supernatant of P57G4 to identify the pigmented compound or compounds. Methanol extracts of the acid precipitate from the culture supernatant contained a red and an orange pigment. Structural analysis revealed that these were triaryl cations, designated turbomycin A and turbomycin B, respectively; both exhibited broad-spectrum antibiotic activity against gram-negative and gram-positive organisms. Mutagenesis, subcloning, and sequence analysis of the 25-kb insert in P57G4 demonstrated that a single open reading frame was necessary and sufficient to confer production of the brown, orange, and red pigments on E. coli; the predicted product of this sequence shares extensive sequence similarity with members of the 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (4HPPD) family of enzymes. Another member of the same family of genes, lly, which is required for production of the hemolytic pigment in Legionella pneumophila, also conferred production of turbomycin A and B on E. coli. We further demonstrated that turbomycin A and turbomycin B are produced from the interaction of indole, normally secreted by E. coli, with homogentisic acid synthesized by the 4HPPD gene products. The results demonstrate successful heterologous expression of DNA extracted directly from soil as a means to access previously uncharacterized small organic compounds, serving as an example of a chimeric pathway for the generation of novel chemical structures.     

Novel bacterial bioassay for a high-throughput screening of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase inhibitors

Plant 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) is the molecular target of a range of synthetic β-triketone herbicides that are currently used commercially. Their mode of action is based on an irreversible inhibition of HPPD. Therefore, this inhibitory capacity was used to develop a whole-cell colorimetric bioassay with a recombinant Escherichia coli expressing a plant HPPD for the herbicide analysis of β-triketones. The principle of the bioassay is based on the ability of the recombinant E. coli clone to produce a soluble melanin-like pigment, from tyrosine catabolism through p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate and homogentisate. The addition of sulcotrione, a HPPD inhibitor, decreased the pigment production. With the aim to optimize the assay, the E. coli recombinant clone was immobilized in sol–gel or agarose matrix in a 96-well microplate format. The limit of detection for mesotrione, tembotrione, sulcotrione, and leptospermone was 0.069, 0.051, 0.038, and 20 μM, respectively, allowing to validate the whole-cell colorimetric bioassay as a simple and cost-effective alternative tool for laboratory use. The bioassay results from sulcotrione-spiked soil samples were confirmed with high-performance liquid chromatography.     

Identification of a novel 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase from the soil metagenome

4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) is a Fe(II)-dependent, non-heme oxygenase that converts 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate to homogentisate. Essential cofactors, such as plastoquinone and tocopherol, are produced by HPPD-dependent anabolic pathways in plants. To isolate a novel hppd using culture-independent method, a cosmid metagenomic library was constructed from soil in Korea. Screening of Escherichia coli metagenomic libraries led to the identification of a positive clone, YS103B, producing dark brown pigment in Luria-Bertani medium supplemented with l-tyrosine. In vitro transposon mutagenesis of YS103B showed that the 1.3 kb insert was sufficient to produce the hemolytic brown pigment. Sequence analysis of YS103B disclosed one open reading frame encoding a 41.4 kDa protein with the well-conserved prokaryotic oxygenase motif of the HPPD family of enzymes. The HPPD-specific β-triketone herbicide, sulcotrione, inhibited YS103B pigmentation. The recombinant protein expressed in E. coli generated homogentisic acid. Thus, we present the successful heterologous expression of a previously uncharacterized hppd gene from an uncultured soil bacterium.     

Enhancement of nematicidal potential through cloning and expression of chitinase gene from Bacillus subtilis subsp. Subtilis BTN7A strain

A gene encoding chitinase from B. subtilis has been isolated after optimization of PCR conditions. It was cloned with two different prometers, T7 promoter of the pJET1.2/blunt cloning vector and the SP6 promoter of pGEM®-T Easy vector. After transforming E. coli DH5α, two transformants were selected, CHI-NRC-4 from the first vector and T-CHI-NRC-6 from the second vector, and used for further studies. The complete CDS sequence of chitinase gene was determined and submitted to GenBank with the accession number KX268692.1. Culture supernatants of E. coli (CHI-NRC-4) and E. coli (T-CHI-NRC-6) were investigated for their inhibitory effect on M. javanica egg hatch under laboratory conditions. Result showed up to 96% inhibition in egg hatching due to both E. coli transformants as compared to control which reflect the same expression efficiency of both used prometers. A greenhouse experiment was carried out to evaluate the nematicidal effect of culture supernatants of the two transformts E. coli (CHI-NRC-4) and E. coli (T-CHI-NRC-6) against M. javanica infected eggplant. Obtained results showed a significant reduction in nematode population in soil and roots and enhancement in eggplant growth parameters as compared to control.     

The DNA sequence on bacteriophage G4 recognized by the Escherichia coli B restriction enzyme.

Bacteriophage G4 possesses a single EcoB site located in the overlap between restriction fragments HinfI-12 and HaeIII-6. The sequence 5′-T-G-A … 8N … T-G-C-T occurs once in this segment and nowhere else in the DNA sequence of G4. Four independent G4 mutants that were not restricted by Escherichia coli B possessed the sequence 5′-T-G-A … 8N … T-G-C-C. The common sequence shared by the previously mapped EcoB sites on φXsB1, simian virus 40, f1, and fd DNAs is 5′-T-G-A … 8N … T-G-C-T … 9N … T. However, the sequence in the region of the G4 EcoB site contains an A instead of the final T conserved in these other examples. When the G4 EcoB site is aligned with the other EcoB sites, there are no conserved residues within 50 bases of the common sequence, 5′-T-G-A … 8N … T-G-C-T, except for those seven residues. The analysis of the EcoB site on G4 provides further evidence that only those seven bases are recognized by the E. coli B restriction enzyme.     

Antimicrobial activity of berberine--a constituent of Mahonia aquifolium

The antimicrobial activity of the protoberberine, alkaloid, berberine, isolated fromMahonia aquifolium, was evaluated against 17 microorganisms including two Gram-negative bacteria—Pseudomonas aeruginosa andEscherichia coli (both resistant and sensitive), two Gram-positive bacteria—Bacillus subtilis andStaphylococcus aureus, Zoogloea ramigera, six filamentous fungi—Penicilium chrysogenum, Aspergillus niger, Aureobasidium pullulans (black and white strain),Trichoderma viride (original green strain and brown mutant),Fusarium nivale, Mycrosporum gypseum, and two yeasts—Candida, albicans andSaccharomyces cerevisiae. The IC₅₀, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum microbicidal concentration (MMC) and minimum microbistatic concentration (MMS) varied considerably depending on the microorganism tested, the sensitivity decreasing as follows:S. aureus >P. aeruginosa S (sensitive) >E. coli S>P. aeruginosa R (resistant) >E. coli R>B. subtilis>Z. ramigera>C. albicans>S. cerevisiae>A. pullulans B (black)>A. pullulans W (white)>T. viride Br (brown)>M. gypseum>A niger>F. nivale>P. chrysogenum>T. viride G (green).     

Enhanced Heterologous Expression of Two Streptomyces griseolus Cytochrome P450s and Streptomyces coelicolor Ferredoxin Reductase as Potentially Efficient Hydroxylation Catalysts

The herbicide-inducible, soluble cytochrome P450s CYP105A1 and CYP105B1 and their adjacent ferredoxins, Fd1 and Fd2, of Streptomyces griseolus were expressed in Escherichia coli to high levels. Conditions for high-level expression of active enzyme able to catalyze hydroxylation have been developed. Analysis of the expression levels of the P450 proteins in several different E. coli expression hosts identified E. coli BL21 Star(DE3)pLysS as the optimal host cell to express CYP105B1 as judged by CO difference spectra. Examination of the codons used in the CYP1051A1 sequence indicated that it contains a number of codons corresponding to rare E. coli tRNA species. The level of its expression was improved in the modified forms of E. coli BL21(DE3), which contain extra copies of rare codon E. coli tRNA genes. The activity of correctly folded cytochrome P450s was further enhanced by cloning a ferredoxin reductase from Streptomyces coelicolor downstream of CYP105A1 and CYP105B1 and their adjacent ferredoxins. Expression of CYP105A1 and CYP105B1 was also achieved in Streptomyces lividans 1326 by cloning the P450 genes and their ferredoxins into the expression vector pBW160. S. lividans 1326 cells containing CYP105A1 or CYP105B1 were able efficiently to dealkylate 7-ethoxycoumarin.     

Lineage and Genogroup-Defining Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of Escherichia coli O157:H7

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a zoonotic human pathogen for which cattle are an important reservoir host. Using both previously published and new sequencing data, a 48-locus single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based typing panel was developed that redundantly identified 11 genogroups that span six of the eight lineages recently described for E. coli O157:H7 (J. L. Bono, T. P. Smith, J. E. Keen, G. P. Harhay, T. G. McDaneld, R. E. Mandrell, W. K. Jung, T. E. Besser, P. Gerner-Smidt, M. Bielaszewska, H. Karch, M. L. Clawson, Mol. Biol. Evol. 29:2047–2062, 2012) and additionally defined subgroups within four of those lineages. This assay was applied to 530 isolates from human and bovine sources. The SNP-based lineage groups were concordant with previously identified E. coli O157:H7 genotypes identified by other methods and were strongly associated with carriage of specific Stx genes. Two SNP lineages (Ia and Vb) were disproportionately represented among cattle isolates, and three others (IIa, Ib, and IIb) were disproportionately represented among human clinical isolates. This 48-plex SNP assay efficiently and economically identifies biologically relevant lineages within E. coli O157:H7.     

The nucleotide sequence recognized by the Escherichia coli K12 restriction and modification enzymes.

The sites recognized by the Escherichia coli K12 restriction endonuclease were localized to defined regions on the genomes of phage φXsK1, φXsK2, and G4 by the marker rescue technique. Methyl groups placed on the genome of plasmid pBR322 by the E. coli K12 modification methylase were mapped in HinfI fragments 1 and 3, and HaeIII fragments 1 and 3. A homology of seven nucleotides in the configuration: 5′-A-A-C .. 6N .. G-T-G-C-3′, where 6N represents six unspecified nucleotides, was found among the DNA sequences containing the five EcoK sites of φXsK1, φXsK2, G4, and pBR322. Three lines of evidence indicate that this sequence constitutes the recognition site of the E. coli K12 restriction enzyme. The C in 5′-A-A-C and the T in 5′-G-T-G-C are locations of mutations leading to loss or gain of the site and thus are positions recognized by the enzyme. This sequence does not occur on φXam3cs70, simian virus 40 (SV40), and fd DNAs which do not possess EcoK sites, and occurs only once on φXsK1, φXsK2, and G4 DNAs, and twice on pBR322 DNA. In order to prove that all seven conserved nucleotides are essential for the recognition by the E. coli K12 restriction enzyme, the nucleotide sequences of φX174, G4, SV40, fd, and pBR322 were searched for sequences differing from the sequence 5′-A-A-C .. 6N .. G-TG-C-3′ at only one of the specified positions. It was found that sequences differing at each of the specified positions occur on DNA sequences that do not contain the EcoK sites. Thus, the recognition site of the E. coli K12 restriction enzyme has the same basic structure as that of the EcoB site (Lautenberger et al., 1978). In each case there are two domains, one containing three and the other four specific nucleotides, separated by a sequence of unspecified bases. However, the unspecified sequence in the EcoK site must be precisely six bases instead of the eight found in the EcoB site. Alignment of the EcoK and EcoB sites suggests that four of the seven specified nucleotides are conserved between the sequences recognized by these two allelic restriction and modification systems.     

Quantitative analyses of certain enteric bacteria and bacterial extracts: I. Standardization and sonic disruption of eight enteric bacterial species, each at five population levels

Standardized individual preparations of five population levels of eight enteric organisms [Escherichia coli (O4:H3), E. coli (O111:B4:H12), Salmonella enteritidis, S. paratyphi B, S. typhimurium, Shigella boydii, S. dysenteriae, and S. sonnei) were prepared. Dry weights, calculated mean cell weight, and nitrogen content of bacterial suspensions before, and of supernatant fluids after, ultrasonic disruption are tabulated. Percentages of disruption, estimated from nitrogen concentration ratios of the suspensions and supernatant fluids, are given. These data are presented as guidelines for the preparation of bacterial extracts prior to precipitin analyses.     

D-ribose-5-phosphate isomerase B from Escherichia coli is also a functional D-allose-6-phosphate isomerase, while the Mycobacterium tuberculosis enzyme is not

Interconversion of d-ribose-5-phosphate (R5P) and d-ribulose-5-phosphate is an important step in the pentose phosphate pathway. Two unrelated enzymes with R5P isomerase activity were first identified in Escherichia coli, RpiA and RpiB. In this organism, the essential 5-carbon sugars were thought to be processed by RpiA, while the primary role of RpiB was suggested to instead be interconversion of the rare 6-carbon sugars d-allose-6-phosphate (All6P) and d-allulose-6-phosphate. In Mycobacterium tuberculosis, where only an RpiB is found, the 5-carbon sugars are believed to be the enzyme's primary substrates. Here, we present kinetic studies examining the All6P isomerase activity of the RpiBs from these two organisms and show that only the E. coli enzyme can catalyze the reaction efficiently. All6P instead acts as an inhibitor of the M. tuberculosis enzyme in its action on R5P. X-ray studies of the M. tuberculosis enzyme co-crystallized with All6P and 5-deoxy-5-phospho-d-ribonohydroxamate (an inhibitor designed to mimic the 6-carbon sugar) and comparison with the E. coli enzyme's structure allowed us to identify differences in the active sites that explain the kinetic results. Two other structures, that of a mutant E. coli RpiB in which histidine 99 was changed to asparagine and that of wild-type M. tuberculosis enzyme, both co-crystallized with the substrate ribose-5-phosphate, shed additional light on the reaction mechanism of RpiBs generally.     

Engineering sequence and selectivity of late-stage C-H oxidation in the MycG iterative cytochrome P450

MycG is a multifunctional P450 monooxygenase that catalyzes sequential hydroxylation and epoxidation or a single epoxidation in mycinamicin biosynthesis. In the mycinamicin-producing strain Micromonospora griseorubida A11725, very low-level accumulation of mycinamicin V generated by the initial C-14 allylic hydroxylation of MycG is observed due to its subsequent epoxidation to generate mycinamicin II, the terminal metabolite in this pathway. Herein, we investigated whether MycG can be engineered for production of the mycinamicin II intermediate as the predominant metabolite. Thus, mycG was subject to random mutagenesis and screening was conducted in Escherichia coli whole-cell assays. This enabled efficient identification of amino acid residues involved in reaction profile alterations, which included MycG R111Q/V358L, W44R, and V135G/E355K with enhanced monohydroxylation to accumulate mycinamicin V. The MycG V135G/E355K mutant generated 40-fold higher levels of mycinamicin V compared to wild-type M. griseorubida A11725. In addition, the E355K mutation showed improved ability to catalyze sequential hydroxylation and epoxidation with minimal mono-epoxidation product mycinamicin I compared to the wild-type enzyme. These approaches demonstrate the ability to selectively coordinate the catalytic activity of multifunctional P450s and efficiently produce the desired compounds.     

Inhibition of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Type II Topoisomerases by the Novel Spiropyrimidinetrione AZD0914

We characterized the inhibition of Neisseria gonorrhoeae type II topoisomerases gyrase and topoisomerase IV by AZD0914 (AZD0914 will be henceforth known as ETX0914 (Entasis Therapeutics)), a novel spiropyrimidinetrione antibacterial compound that is currently in clinical trials for treatment of drug-resistant gonorrhea. AZD0914 has potent bactericidal activity against N. gonorrhoeae, including multidrug-resistant strains and key Gram-positive, fastidious Gram-negative, atypical, and anaerobic bacterial species (Huband, M. D., Bradford, P. A., Otterson, L. G., Basrab, G. S., Giacobe, R. A., Patey, S. A., Kutschke, A. C., Johnstone, M. R., Potter, M. E., Miller, P. F., and Mueller, J. P. (2014) In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of AZD0914: A New Spiropyrimidinetrione DNA Gyrase/Topoisomerase Inhibitor with Potent Activity against Gram-positive, Fastidious Gram-negative, and Atypical Bacteria. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 59, 467–474). AZD0914 inhibited DNA biosynthesis preferentially to other macromolecules in Escherichia coli and induced the SOS response to DNA damage in E. coli. AZD0914 stabilized the enzyme-DNA cleaved complex for N. gonorrhoeae gyrase and topoisomerase IV. The potency of AZD0914 for inhibition of supercoiling and the stabilization of cleaved complex by N. gonorrhoeae gyrase increased in a fluoroquinolone-resistant mutant enzyme. When a mutation, conferring mild resistance to AZD0914, was present in the fluoroquinolone-resistant mutant, the potency of ciprofloxacin for inhibition of supercoiling and stabilization of cleaved complex was increased greater than 20-fold. In contrast to ciprofloxacin, religation of the cleaved DNA did not occur in the presence of AZD0914 upon removal of magnesium from the DNA-gyrase-inhibitor complex. AZD0914 had relatively low potency for inhibition of human type II topoisomerases α and β.     

The Role of O-antigen in P1 Transduction of Shigella flexneri and Escherichia coli with its Alternative S' Tail Fibre

Enterobacteria phage P1 expresses two types of tail fibre, S and S'. Despite the wide usage of phage P1 for transduction, the host range and the receptor for its alternative S' tail fibre was never determined. Here, a ΔS-cin Δpac E. coli P1 lysogenic strain was generated to allow packaging of phagemid DNA into P1 phage having either S or S' tail fibre. P1(S') could transduce phagemid DNA into Shigella flexneri 2a 2457O, Shigella flexneri 5a M90T and Escherichia coli O3 efficiently. Mutational analysis of the O-antigen assembly genes and LPS inhibition assays indicated that P1(S') transduction requires at least one O-antigen unit. E. coli O111:B4 LPS produced a high neutralising effect against P1(S') transduction, indicating that this E. coli strain could be susceptible to P1(S')-mediated transduction. Mutations in the O-antigen modification genes of S. flexneri 2a 2457O and S. flexneri 5a M90T did not cause significant changes to P1(S’) transduction efficiency. A higher transduction efficiency of P1(S') improved the delivery of a cas9 antimicrobial phagemid into both S. flexneri 2457O and M90T. These findings provide novel insights into P1 tropism-switching, by identifying the bacterial strains which are susceptible to P1(S')-mediated transduction, as well as demonstrating its potential for delivering a DNA sequence-specific Cas9 antimicrobial into clinically relevant S. flexneri.     

Production of single chain Fab (scFab) fragments in Bacillus megaterium

Background

The demand on antigen binding reagents in research, diagnostics and therapy raises questions for novel antibody formats as well as appropriate production systems. Recently, the novel single chain Fab (scFab) antibody format combining properties of single chain Fv (scFv) and Fab fragments was produced in the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli. In this study we evaluated the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus megaterium for the recombinant production of scFab and scFvs in comparison to E. coli.

Results

The lysozyme specific D1.3 scFab was produced in B. megaterium and E. coli. The total yield of the scFab after purification obtained from the periplasmic fraction and culture supernatant of E. coli was slightly higher than that obtained from culture supernatant of B. megaterium. However, the yield of functional scFab determined by analyzing the antigen binding activity was equally in both production systems. Furthermore, a scFv fragment with specificity for the human C reactive protein was produced in B. megaterium. The total yield of the anti-CRP scFv produced in B. megaterium was slightly lower compared to E. coli, whereas the specific activity of the purified scFvs produced in B. megaterium was higher compared to E. coli.

Conclusion

B. megaterium allows the secretory production of antibody fragments including the novel scFab antibody format. The yield and quality of functional antibody fragment is comparable to the periplasmic production in E. coli.     

Construction of Deoxyriboaldolase-Overexpressing Escherichia coli and Its Application to 2-Deoxyribose 5-Phosphate Synthesis from Glucose and Acetaldehyde for 2′-Deoxyribonucleoside Production

The gene encoding a deoxyriboaldolase (DERA) was cloned from the chromosomal DNA of Klebsiella pneumoniae B-4-4. This gene contains an open reading frame consisting of 780 nucleotides encoding 259 amino acid residues. The predicted amino acid sequence exhibited 94.6% homology with the sequence of DERA from Escherichia coli. The DERA of K. pneumoniae was expressed in recombinant E. coli cells, and the specific activity of the enzyme in the cell extract was as high as 2.5 U/mg, which was threefold higher than the specific activity in the K. pneumoniae cell extract. One of the E. coli transformants, 10B5/pTS8, which had a defect in alkaline phosphatase activity, was a good catalyst for 2-deoxyribose 5-phosphate (DR5P) synthesis from glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and acetaldehyde. The E. coli cells produced DR5P from glucose and acetaldehyde in the presence of ATP. Under the optimal conditions, 100 mM DR5P was produced from 900 mM glucose, 200 mM acetaldehyde, and 100 mM ATP by the E. coli cells. The DR5P produced was further transformed to 2′-deoxyribonucleoside through coupling the enzymatic reactions of phosphopentomutase and nucleoside phosphorylase. These results indicated that production of 2′-deoxyribonucleoside from glucose, acetaldehyde, and a nucleobase is possible with the addition of a suitable energy source, such as ATP.     

Glucose 6-Phosphate Accumulation in Mycobacteria: IMPLICATIONS FOR A NOVEL F420-DEPENDENT ANTI-OXIDANT DEFENSE SYSTEM*

Glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) is a metabolic intermediate with many possible cellular fates. In mycobacteria, G6P is a substrate for an enzyme, F₄₂₀-dependent glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (Fgd), found in few bacterial genera. Intracellular G6P levels in six Mycobacterium sp. were remarkably higher (∼17–130-fold) than Escherichia coli and Bacillus megaterium. The high G6P level in Mycobacterium smegmatis may result from 10–25-fold higher activity of the gluconeogenic enzyme fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase when grown on glucose, glycerol, or acetate compared with B. megaterium and E. coli. In M. smegmatis this coincided with up-regulation of the first gluconeogenic enzyme, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, when acetate was the carbon source, suggesting a cellular program for maintaining high G6P levels. G6P was depleted in cells under oxidative stress induced by redox cycling agents plumbagin and menadione, whereas an fgd mutant of M. smegmatis used G6P less well under such conditions. The fgd mutant was more sensitive to these agents and, in contrast to wild type, was defective in its ability to reduce extracellular plumbagin and menadione. These data suggest that intracellular G6P in mycobacteria serves as a source of reducing power and, with the mycobacteria-specific Fgd-F₄₂₀ system, plays a protective role against oxidative stress.     

Cell selectivity correlates with membrane-specific interactions: A case study on the antimicrobial peptide G15 derived from granulysin

A 15-residue peptide dimer G15 derived from the cell lytic protein granulysin has been shown to exert potent activity against microbes, including E. coli, but not against human Jurkat cells [Z. Wang, E. Choice, A. Kaspar, D. Hanson, S. Okada, S.C. Lyu, A.M. Krensky, C. Clayberger, Bactericidal and tumoricidal activities of synthetic peptides derived from granulysin. J. Immunol. 165 (2000) 1486-1490]. We investigated the target membrane selectivity of G15 using fluorescence, circular dichroism and ³¹P NMR methods. The ANS uptake assay shows that the extent of E. coli outer membrane disruption depends on G15 concentration. ³¹P NMR spectra obtained from E. coli total lipid bilayers incorporated with G15 show disruption of lipid bilayers. Fluorescence binding studies on the interaction of G15 with synthetic liposomes formed of E. coli lipids suggest a tight binding of the peptide at the membrane interface. The peptide also binds to negatively charged POPC/POPG (3:1) lipid vesicles but fails to insert deep into the membrane interior. These results are supported by the peptide-induced changes in the measured isotropic chemical shift and T1 values of POPG in 3:1 POPC:POPG multilamellar vesicles while neither a non-lamellar phase nor a fragmentation of bilayers was observed from NMR studies. The circular dichroism studies reveal that the peptide exists as a random coil in solution but folds into a less ordered conformation upon binding to POPC/POPG (3:1) vesicles. However, G15 does not bind to lipid vesicles made of POPC/POPG/Chl (9:1:1) mixture, mimicking tumor cell membrane. These results explain the susceptibility of E. coli and the resistance of human Jurkat cells to G15, and may have implications in designing membrane-selective therapeutic agents.