Functional Interaction of Human Neutrophil Peptide-1 with the Cell Wall Precursor Lipid II

Overview

Journal FEBS Lett

Specialty Biochemistry

Date 2010 Mar 11

PMID 20214904

Citations 108

Authors

Erik de Leeuw

Changqing Li

Pengyun Zeng

Chong Li

Marlies Diepeveen-de Buin

Wei-Yue Lu

Eefjan Breukink

Wuyuan Lu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Defensins constitute a major class of cationic antimicrobial peptides in mammals and vertebrates, acting as effectors of innate immunity against infectious microorganisms. It is generally accepted that defensins are bactericidal by disrupting the anionic microbial membrane. Here, we provide evidence that membrane activity of human alpha-defensins does not correlate with antibacterial killing. We further show that the alpha-defensin human neutrophil peptide-1 (HNP1) binds to the cell wall precursor lipid II and that reduction of lipid II levels in the bacterial membrane significantly reduces bacterial killing. The interaction between defensins and lipid II suggests the inhibition of cell wall synthesis as a novel antibacterial mechanism of this important class of host defense peptides.

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