Magainins and the disruption of membrane-linked free-energy transduction.

Abstract

Magainins, a family of positively charged peptides, are partly if not wholly responsible for antimicrobial activity in skin extracts of Xenopus laevis. We report here that members of the magainin family--i.e., the 21-amino acid peptide PGLa and the 23-amino acid peptide magainin 2 amide (PGSa)--dissipate the electric potential across various energy-transducing membranes and thus uncouple respiration from other free-energy-requiring processes. We propose that this is a likely mechanism for the antimicrobial effects of these compounds.

Keywords

MagaininXenopusPeptideAntimicrobial peptidesAmino acidMembraneAntimicrobialChemistryBiophysicsBiochemistryBiologyOrganic chemistryGene

Affiliated Institutions

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases US

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Publication Info

Year: 1989
Type: article
Volume: 86
Issue: 17
Pages: 6597-6601
Citations: 286
Access: Closed

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APA Style

                            
                                
                                    Hans V. Westerhoff, 
                                
                                    Davor Juretić, 
                                
                                    Richard W. Hendler
                                
                                et al.
                            
                            (1989). 
                            Magainins and the disruption of membrane-linked free-energy transduction.. 
                            Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
                            , 86
                            (17)
                            , 6597-6601.
                            https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.86.17.6597
                        

Identifiers

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.86.17.6597