Peptide Antimicrobial Agents

Overview

Journal Clin Microbiol Rev

Publisher American Society for Microbiology

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2006 Jul 19

PMID 16847082

Citations 798

Authors

Havard Jenssen

Pamela Hamill

Robert E W Hancock

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Antimicrobial host defense peptides are produced by all complex organisms as well as some microbes and have diverse and complex antimicrobial activities. Collectively these peptides demonstrate a broad range of antiviral and antibacterial activities and modes of action, and it is important to distinguish between direct microbicidal and indirect activities against such pathogens. The structural requirements of peptides for antiviral and antibacterial activities are evaluated in light of the diverse set of primary and secondary structures described for host defense peptides. Peptides with antifungal and antiparasitic activities are discussed in less detail, although the broad-spectrum activities of such peptides indicate that they are important host defense molecules. Knowledge regarding the relationship between peptide structure and function as well as their mechanism of action is being applied in the design of antimicrobial peptide variants as potential novel therapeutic agents.

Citing Articles

Antimicrobial peptide biological activity, delivery systems and clinical translation status and challenges.

Zheng S, Tu Y, Li B, Qu G, Li A, Peng X J Transl Med. 2025; 23(1):292.

PMID: 40055730 PMC: 11887333. DOI: 10.1186/s12967-025-06321-9.

Piggybacking on nature: exploring the multifaceted world of porcine β-defensins.

Finatto A, Meurens F, de Oliveira Costa M Vet Res. 2025; 56(1):47.

PMID: 40033445 PMC: 11877871. DOI: 10.1186/s13567-025-01465-4.

Machine learning-driven discovery of highly selective antifungal peptides containing non-canonical β-amino acids.

Chang D, Richardson J, Lee M, Lynn D, Palecek S, Van Lehn R Chem Sci. 2025; .

PMID: 40028619 PMC: 11867109. DOI: 10.1039/d4sc06689h.

Chemosensory protein 16 has an immune function and participates in host-pathogen interaction in infected with .

Kordaczuk J, Sulek M, Mak P, Fraczek A, Wojda I Virulence. 2025; 16(1):2471367.

PMID: 40019037 PMC: 11875508. DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2025.2471367.

Antimicrobial Peptides: Classification, Mechanism, and Application in Plant Disease Resistance.

Wu Y, Wang J, Hu Y, Sun Q, Geng R, Ding L Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2025; .

PMID: 39969681 DOI: 10.1007/s12602-025-10478-6.

References

Cotter P, Hill C, Ross R . Bacteriocins: developing innate immunity for food. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2005; 3(10):777-88. DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro1273. View

Helmerhorst E, Breeuwer P, Vant Hof W, Oomen L, Veerman E, Amerongen A . The cellular target of histatin 5 on Candida albicans is the energized mitochondrion. J Biol Chem. 1999; 274(11):7286-91. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.274.11.7286. View

Giansanti F, Massucci M, Giardi M, Nozza F, Pulsinelli E, Nicolini C . Antiviral activity of ovotransferrin derived peptides. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2005; 331(1):69-73. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2005.03.125. View

Wang Z, Wang G . APD: the Antimicrobial Peptide Database. Nucleic Acids Res. 2003; 32(Database issue):D590-2. PMC: 308759. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkh025. View

Andersson E, Rydengard V, Sonesson A, Morgelin M, Bjorck L, Schmidtchen A . Antimicrobial activities of heparin-binding peptides. Eur J Biochem. 2004; 271(6):1219-26. DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.2004.04035.x. View

Viejo-Diaz M, Andres M, Fierro J . Different anti-Candida activities of two human lactoferrin-derived peptides, Lfpep and kaliocin-1. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2005; 49(7):2583-8. PMC: 1168706. DOI: 10.1128/AAC.49.7.2583-2588.2005. View

Huang R, Xiang Y, Tu G, Zhang Y, Wang D . Solution structure of Eucommia antifungal peptide: a novel structural model distinct with a five-disulfide motif. Biochemistry. 2004; 43(20):6005-12. DOI: 10.1021/bi036263y. View

Moerman L, Bosteels S, Noppe W, Willems J, Clynen E, Schoofs L . Antibacterial and antifungal properties of alpha-helical, cationic peptides in the venom of scorpions from southern Africa. Eur J Biochem. 2002; 269(19):4799-810. DOI: 10.1046/j.1432-1033.2002.03177.x. View

Chatterjee S, Lad S, Phansalkar M, Rupp R, Ganguli B, Fehlhaber H . Mersacidin, a new antibiotic from Bacillus. Fermentation, isolation, purification and chemical characterization. J Antibiot (Tokyo). 1992; 45(6):832-8. DOI: 10.7164/antibiotics.45.832. View

10.

Kavanagh K, Dowd S . Histatins: antimicrobial peptides with therapeutic potential. J Pharm Pharmacol. 2004; 56(3):285-9. DOI: 10.1211/0022357022971. View

11.

Mettenleiter T . Brief overview on cellular virus receptors. Virus Res. 2002; 82(1-2):3-8. DOI: 10.1016/s0168-1702(01)00380-x. View

12.

LUSTIG F, Hoebeke J, Velge-Roussel F, Bondjers G, Olsson U, Ruetschi U . Alternative splicing determines the binding of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-AA) to glycosaminoglycans. Biochemistry. 1996; 35(37):12077-85. DOI: 10.1021/bi960118l. View

13.

Hultmark D, Engstrom A, Bennich H, Kapur R, Boman H . Insect immunity: isolation and structure of cecropin D and four minor antibacterial components from Cecropia pupae. Eur J Biochem. 1982; 127(1):207-17. DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1982.tb06857.x. View

14.

Sandgren S, Wittrup A, Cheng F, Jonsson M, Eklund E, Busch S . The human antimicrobial peptide LL-37 transfers extracellular DNA plasmid to the nuclear compartment of mammalian cells via lipid rafts and proteoglycan-dependent endocytosis. J Biol Chem. 2004; 279(17):17951-6. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M311440200. View

15.

Hoogewerf A, Kuschert G, Proudfoot A, Borlat F, Clark-Lewis I, Power C . Glycosaminoglycans mediate cell surface oligomerization of chemokines. Biochemistry. 1997; 36(44):13570-8. DOI: 10.1021/bi971125s. View

16.

Yang D, Biragyn A, Hoover D, Lubkowski J, Oppenheim J . Multiple roles of antimicrobial defensins, cathelicidins, and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin in host defense. Annu Rev Immunol. 2004; 22:181-215. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.immunol.22.012703.104603. View

17.

Subbalakshmi C, Sitaram N . Mechanism of antimicrobial action of indolicidin. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1998; 160(1):91-6. DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1998.tb12896.x. View

18.

Olsson U, Camejo G, Hurt-Camejo E, Elfsber K, Wiklund O, Bondjers G . Possible functional interactions of apolipoprotein B-100 segments that associate with cell proteoglycans and the ApoB/E receptor. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1997; 17(1):149-55. DOI: 10.1161/01.atv.17.1.149. View

19.

Bulet P, Stocklin R, Menin L . Anti-microbial peptides: from invertebrates to vertebrates. Immunol Rev. 2004; 198:169-84. DOI: 10.1111/j.0105-2896.2004.0124.x. View

20.

Duits L, Ravensbergen B, Rademaker M, Hiemstra P, Nibbering P . Expression of beta-defensin 1 and 2 mRNA by human monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells. Immunology. 2002; 106(4):517-25. PMC: 1782759. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2567.2002.01430.x. View