• Media type: E-Article
  • Title: Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Short Analogues of the Marine Antimicrobial Peptide Turgencin A: Effects of SAR Optimizations, Cys-Cys Cyclization and Lipopeptide Modifications
  • Contributor: Dey, Hymonti; Simonovic, Danijela; Norberg-Schulz Hagen, Ingrid; Vasskog, Terje; Fredheim, Elizabeth G. Aarag; Blencke, Hans-Matti; Anderssen, Trude; Strøm, Morten B.; Haug, Tor
  • imprint: MDPI AG, 2022
  • Published in: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
  • Language: English
  • DOI: 10.3390/ijms232213844
  • ISSN: 1422-0067
  • Keywords: Inorganic Chemistry ; Organic Chemistry ; Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ; Computer Science Applications ; Spectroscopy ; Molecular Biology ; General Medicine ; Catalysis
  • Origination:
  • Footnote:
  • Description: <jats:p>We have synthesised short analogues of the marine antimicrobial peptide Turgencin A from the colonial Arctic ascidian Synoicum turgens. In this study, we focused on a central, cationic 12-residue Cys-Cys loop region within the sequence. Modified (tryptophan- and arginine-enriched) linear peptides were compared with Cys-Cys cyclic derivatives, and both linear and Cys-cyclic peptides were N-terminally acylated with octanoic acid (C8), decanoic acid (C10) or dodecanoic acid (C12). The highest antimicrobial potency was achieved by introducing dodecanoic acid to a cyclic Turgencin A analogue with low intrinsic hydrophobicity, and by introducing octanoic acid to a cyclic analogue displaying a higher intrinsic hydrophobicity. Among all tested synthetic Turgencin A lipopeptide analogues, the most promising candidates regarding both antimicrobial and haemolytic activity were C12-cTurg-1 and C8-cTurg-2. These optimized cyclic lipopeptides displayed minimum inhibitory concentrations of 4 µg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and the fungus Rhodothorula sp. Mode of action studies on bacteria showed a rapid membrane disruption and bactericidal effect of the cyclic lipopeptides. Haemolytic activity against human erythrocytes was low, indicating favorable selective targeting of bacterial cells.</jats:p>
  • Access State: Open Access