subtilin and 6-carboxyfluorescein

The increasing resistance of human pathogens to conventional antibiotics presents a growing threat to the chemotherapeutic management of infectious diseases. The lanthionine antibiotics, still unused as therapeutic agents, have recently attracted significant scientific interest as models for targeting and management of bacterial infections. We investigated the action of one member of this class, subtilin, which permeabilizes lipid membranes in a lipid II-dependent manner and binds bactoprenyl pyrophosphate, akin to nisin. The role the C and N termini play in target recognition was investigated in vivo and in vitro by using the natural N-terminally succinylated subtilin as well as enzymatically truncated subtilin variants. Fluorescence dequenching experiments show that subtilin induces leakage in membranes in a lipid II-dependent manner and that N-succinylated subtilin is roughly 75-fold less active. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance was used to show that subtilin forms complexes with membrane isoprenyl pyrophosphates. Activity assays in vivo show that the N terminus of subtilin plays a critical role in its activity. Succinylation of the N terminus resulted in a 20-fold decrease in its activity, whereas deletion of N-terminal Trp abolished activity altogether.

Topics: Alanine; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteriocins; Cell Membrane; Coated Vesicles; Diphosphates; Fluoresceins; Lactococcus lactis; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Peptides; Phosphatidylcholines; Phosphatidylglycerols; Succinic Acid; Sulfides; Tryptophan; Uridine Diphosphate N-Acetylmuramic Acid

The cationic peptide antibiotics Pep 5, nisin and subtilin depolarize bacterial and artificial membranes by formation of voltage-dependent multi-state pores. Studies with non-energized liposomes indicated that the peptides do not span the membrane in the absence of a membrane potential. The effects of Pep 5 and nisin on neutral membranes, as studied by membrane fluidity, phase transition points and carboxyfluorescein efflux, were small compared to melittin. Acidic liposomes were affected more strongly, indicative of primarily electrostatic interactions with phospholipid head groups. Subtilin may slightly enter the hydrophobic core as suggested by tryptophan fluorescence quenching and liposome fusion experiments.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Proteins; Bacteriocins; Cell Membrane; Fluoresceins; Liposomes; Melitten; Membrane Fluidity; Membrane Fusion; Membrane Potentials; Nisin; Peptides; Peptides, Cyclic; Spectrometry, Fluorescence; Temperature; Tryptophan