Subcellular localization is important for proteins to function. For the prediction of subcellular localizations, we have developed a method, SortPred, using the amino acid composition and order. The composition represents the global features, e.g., the amino acid composition in the full or partial sequences, while the order represents the local features, e.g., the amino acid sequence order. The...

β-Lactam peptides were envisioned as conformational constraints in antigenic peptides (APs). Three different β-lactam tripeptides of varying flexibility were prepared in solution and incorporated in place of the central part of the altered melanoma associated antigenic peptide Leu(27)-Melan-A(26-35) using solid phase synthesis techniques. Upon TFA cleavage from the solid support, an unexpected ...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising next generation antibiotics that hold great potential for combating bacterial resistance. AMPs can be both bacteriostatic and bactericidal, induce rapid killing and display a lower propensity to develop resistance than do conventional antibiotics. Despite significant progress in the past 30 years, no peptide antibiotic has reached the clinic yet. Poor...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are gaining importance as anti-infective agents. Here we describe the updated Collection of Antimicrobial Peptide (CAMP) database, available online at http://www.camp.bicnirrh.res.in/. The 3D structures of peptides are known to influence antimicrobial activity. Although there exists databases of AMPs, information on structures of AMPs is limited in these databases....

Cationic antimicrobial peptides are important components of the innate immune defences of all species of life. Variants of these natural molecules have a broad range of antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral and anti-endotoxic activity. Two of these cationic peptides have shown signs of efficacy in early clinical trials of oral mucositis and the sterilisation of central venous catheters, respectivel...

Shiga toxin (Stx) is the principal virulence factor during Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections. We have previously reported the inactivation of bacteriophage encoding Stx after treatment with chitosan, a linear polysaccharide polymer with cationic properties. Cationic antimicrobial peptides (cAMPs) are short linear aminoacidic sequences, with a positive net charge, which di...

Many antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) function by forming various oligomeric structures and/or pores upon binding to bacterial membranes. Because such peptide aggregates are capable of inducing membrane thinning and membrane permeabilization, we expected that AMP binding would also affect the diffusivity or mobility of the lipid molecules in the membrane. Herein, we show that measurements of the d...

The two-component regulatory system PhoP-PhoQ of Pseudomonas aeruginosa regulates resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides, polymyxin B and aminoglycosides in response to low Mg2+ conditions. We have identified a second two-component regulatory system, PmrA-PmrB, that regulates resistance to polymyxin B and cationic antimicrobial peptides. This system responds to limiting Mg2+, and is affe...

Host defense peptides are a vital component of the innate immune systems of humans, other mammals, amphibians, and arthropods. The related cationic antimicrobial peptides are also produced by many species of bacteria and function as part of the antimicrobial arsenal to help the producing organism reduce competition for resources from sensitive species. The antimicrobial activities of many of th...

Komodo dragons are the largest living lizards and are the apex predators in their environs. They endure numerous strains of pathogenic bacteria in their saliva and recover from wounds inflicted by other dragons, reflecting the inherent robustness of their innate immune defense. We have employed a custom bioprospecting approach combining partial de novo peptide sequencing with transcriptome asse...