Novel Antimicrobial Peptides from the Venom of Eusocial Bee Halictus sexcinctus (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)

摘要

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) initially discovered as a part of innate immunity system of practically all-living organisms, ranging from prokaryotes to humans, are attracting target as potential antimicrobial agents with different mode of action than traditional antibiotics. The most studied group of AMPs represents those which can adopt α-helical structure within the bacterial cell membrane. These peptides which exhibit significant activity against a wide range of Gram-positive and -negative bacteria are frequently found in the venom of hymenoptera. In our laboratory we are currently focusing on the identification of novel AMPs in the venom of wild bees. Here we describe structural features and biological activities of two novel peptides named halictines (HAL-1, HAL-2) isolated from the venom of wild bee Halictus sexcinctus. We also prepared several HAL-1 analogs to study the effect of enhanced cationicity on antimicrobial and hemolytic activity.