Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Abstract: To my family ii Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small proteins that constitute a first line of defense against invading pathogens in the innate immune systems of countless plant and animal species. Their mechanism of action relies to a large extent on selectively disrupting the cell membranes of bacteria, which makes them promising therapeutic agents in the fight against infectious pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. However, AMPs also exhibit toxicity towards mammalian cells, which presents a significant bottleneck in the development of AMPs for antibiotic treatment in humans. Thus, before the full potential of AMPs as therapeutic agents can be unlocked, their fundamental mechanism of action must be understood in order to identify targets for mutation that can improve activity and ameliorate toxic effects. To this end, we carry out computer simulations and modeling studies in order to understand the interactions of protegrin, a particularly potent and well-studied AMP, with lipid bilayers that mimic the
Author: Dan Bolintineanu
Language: English
Subfield: Microbiology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1513182472