Title:Antibacterial Potential of a Novel Peptide from the Consensus Sequence of Dermaseptin Related Peptides Secreted by Agalychnis annae
Volume: 22
Issue: 9
Author(s): Ya’u Sabo Ajingi, Auwal Muhammad, Pongsak Khunrae, Triwit Rattanarojpong, Kovit Pattanapanyasat, Thana Sutthibutpong and Nujarin Jongruja*
Affiliation:
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Bangkok,Thailand
Keywords:
Antibacterial peptide, bacterial resistance, Frogskin secretions, Agalychnis annae, consensus sequence, dermaseptin
related peptides.
Abstract:
Background: The consistently increasing reports of bacterial resistance and the reemergence
of bacterial epidemics have inspired the health and scientific community to discover new
molecules with antibacterial potential continuously. Frog-skin secretions constitute bioactive compounds
essential for finding new biopharmaceuticals. The exact antibacterial characterization of dermaseptin
related peptides derived from Agalychnis annae, is limited. The resemblance in their conserved
and functionally linked genomes indicates an unprecedented opportunity to obtain novel bioactive
compounds.
Objective: In this study, we derived a novel peptide sequence and determined its antibacterial potentials.
Methods: Consensus sequence strategy was used to design the novel and active antibacterial peptide
named 'AGAAN' from skin secretions of Agalychnis annae. The in-vitro activities of the novel peptide
against some bacterial strains were investigated. Time kill studies, DNA retardation, cytotoxicity, betagalactosidase,
and molecular computational studies were conducted.
Results: AGAAN inhibited P. aeruginosa, E. faecalis, and S. typhimurium at 20 μM concentration.
E. coli and S. aureus were inhibited at 25 μM, and lastly, B. subtilis at 50 μM. Kinetics of inactivation
against exponential and stationary growing bacteria was found to be rapid within 1-5 hours of peptide
exposure, depending on time and concentration. The peptide displayed weak hemolytic activity between
0.01%-7.31% at the antibacterial concentrations. AGAAN efficiently induced bacterial membrane
damage with subsequent cell lysis. The peptide's DNA binding shows that it also targets intracellular
DNA by retarding its movement. Our in-silico molecular docking analysis displayed a strong affinity
to the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane.
Conclusion: AGAAN exhibits potential antibacterial properties that could be used to combat bacterial
resistance.