Identification of a Novel Antimicrobial Peptide from Human Hepatitis B Virus Core Protein Arginine-Rich Domain (ARD)

PLoS Pathogens

Chiaho Shih¹  Tsai-Ling Lauderdale²  You-Di Liao³  Szu-Yao Wu⁴  Ya-Shu Chang⁴  Hui-Ming Yu⁴  Heng-Li Chen⁴  Kaichih Chang⁵  Pei-Yi Su⁶ 

[1] Department of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Tzu Chi University, Hualien City, Taiwan;Genomics Research center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan;Graduate Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan;Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan;Microbial Infections Reference Laboratory (MIRL), National Health Research Institute (NHRI), Zhunan Town, Taiwan;Taiwan International Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine, National Yang-Ming University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

关键词: Pseudomonas aeruginosa;    Staphylococcus aureus;    Lipids;    Antimicrobials;    Mouse models;    Antimicrobial resistance;    Gram negative bacteria;    Klebsiella pneumoniae;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.ppat.1003425

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

The rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens causes an increasing challenge to public health. Antimicrobial peptides are considered a possible solution to this problem. HBV core protein (HBc) contains an arginine-rich domain (ARD) at its C-terminus, which consists of 16 arginine residues separated into four clusters (ARD I to IV). In this study, we demonstrated that the peptide containing the full-length ARD I–IV (HBc147-183) has a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity at micro-molar concentrations, including some MDR and colistin (polymyxin E)-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Furthermore, confocal fluorescence microscopy and SYTOX Green uptake assay indicated that this peptide killed Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria by membrane permeabilization or DNA binding. In addition, peptide ARD II–IV (HBc153-176) and ARD I–III (HBc147-167) were found to be necessary and sufficient for the activity against P. aeruginosa and K. peumoniae. The antimicrobial activity of HBc ARD peptides can be attenuated by the addition of LPS. HBc ARD peptide was shown to be capable of direct binding to the Lipid A of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in several in vitro binding assays. Peptide ARD I–IV (HBc147-183) had no detectable cytotoxicity in various tissue culture systems and a mouse animal model. In the mouse model by intraperitoneal (i.p.) inoculation with Staphylococcus aureus, timely treatment by i.p. injection with ARD peptide resulted in 100-fold reduction of bacteria load in blood, liver and spleen, as well as 100% protection of inoculated animals from death. If peptide was injected when bacterial load in the blood reached its peak, the protection rate dropped to 40%. Similar results were observed in K. peumoniae using an IVIS imaging system. The finding of anti-microbial HBc ARD is discussed in the context of commensal gut microbiota, development of intrahepatic anti-viral immunity and establishment of chronic infection with HBV. Our current results suggested that HBc ARD could be a new promising antimicrobial peptide.

【 授权许可】

CC BY