Work

Engineering Selectively Targeting Antimicrobial Peptides

Year: 2021

Type: review

Abstract: The rise of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacterial pathogens has necessitated the development of new therapeutics. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a class of compounds with potentially attractive therapeutic properties, including the ability to target specific groups of bacteria. In nature, AMPs exhibit remarkable structural and functional diversity, which may be further enhanced through genetic engineering, high-throughput screening, and chemical modification strategies. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying AMP selectivity and highlight recent computational and experimental efforts to design selectively targeting AMPs. While there has been an extensive effort to find broadly active and highly potent AMPs, it remains challenging to design targeting peptides to discriminate between different bacteria on the basis of physicochemical properties. We also review approaches for measuring AMP activity, point out the challenges faced in assaying for selectivity, and discuss the potential for increasing AMP diversity through chemical modifications.

Source: Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering

DOI: 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-010220-095711

Authors: Ming Lei, Arul Jayaraman, James A. Van Deventer, Kyongbum Lee

Institutions: Tufts University, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Texas A&M University

Language: English

Topic: Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities

Subfield: Microbiology

Field: Immunology and Microbiology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Award: Dietary Flavonoids-Microbiota-Ah Receptor Interactions in the Gut