) for DP-containing LUVs showed a complex behavior at increasing peptide concentration. The effect of the peptide on membrane elasticity, investigated by nanotube retraction experiments, showed that peptide addition softened all membrane compositions, but membranes with DP got stiffer at long times. Considering this, and the ζ results, we propose that peptides accumulate at the interface adopting different arrangements, leading to a non-monotonic behavior. Possible correlations with cell membranes were inquired testing the antimicrobial activity of Polybia-MP1 against hopanoid-lacking bacteria pre-incubated with DP or CHO. The fraction of surviving cells was lower in cultures incubated with DP compared to those incubated with CHO. We propose that the higher activity of Polybia-MP1 against some bacteria compared to mammalian cells is not only related to membrane electrostatics, but also the composition of neutral lipids, particularly the hopanoids, could be important.
Keywords: Targeting of AMPs, Bacterial resistance, Membrane dynamic elasticity, Optical tweezers, Lytic activity, Zeta potential
Authors:
Article:
Alvares D.S, Monti M.R., Ruggiero Neto J., N Wilke. BBA Advances Volume 1, 2021, 100002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbadva.2021.100002