Structure and Design of Multipotent Peptide Microbicides
Abstract
The goal of this project is to design novel peptide antibiotics using a naturally occurring family of peptides, known as defensins, as models. Defensins are homologous peptides, 29-34 residues in length, which are major constituents of the cytoplasmic granules of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The structural hallmark of the defensin peptide family is a conserved infrastructure comprised of 1 arginine, 1 glycine, and 6 disulfide-linked cysteine residues. Although the peptides are similar in their overall fold, they possess diverse antimicrobial spectra and potencies. By correlating specific biocidal activities with unique structural features, we seek to design custom peptide antimicrobials based on structure-function principles derived from these studies. Insight into the molecule details of the peptide-target cell interactions may contribute to the general understanding of protein-membrane recognition processes. Keywords: Neutrophils, Synthesis(Chemistry).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA199085
Entities
People
- Michael E. Selsted
Organizations
- UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine