Research Abstract |
An antibacterial peptide, KLKLLLLLKLK-NH_2 (L5) showed significant chemotherapeutic activity in MRSA-infected mice in vivo. The antibacterial mechanisms of L5 were investigated. L5 was shown to have the activity to release the proton gradient using the bacterial membrane. The strength of the activity of L5 was between CCCP and DNP.And L5 was also shown to inhibit the activity of signal peptidase. Thus these effects of L5 seem to be the main reason of the antibacterial activity. Recently we found that L5 activated the human neutrophil, resulting the production of superoxide. Neither KLKLLLLKLK-NH_2 (L4), nor KLKLLLKLK-NH_2 (L3) has the activity at all, indicating that the number of Leu is important for activating neutrophil.
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