The Impact of N-Glycosylation on the Properties of the Antimicrobial Peptide LL-III

March 16, 2023

Title

The Impact of N-Glycosylation on the Properties of the Antimicrobial Peptide LL-III

Author

Tortorella, Attila, Linda Leone, Angelina Lombardi, Elio Pizzo, Andrea Bosso, Roland Winter, Luigi Petraccone, Pompea Del Vecchio, and Rosario Oliva

Year

2023

Journal

Scientific Reports

Abstract

The misuse of antibiotics has led to the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) may represent valuable alternative to antibiotics nevertheless, the easy degradation due to environmental stress and proteolytic enzyme action, limits their use. So far, different strategies have been developed to overcome this drawback. Among them, glycosylation of AMPs represents a promising approach. In this work, we synthesized and characterized the N-glycosilated form of the antimicrobial peptide LL-III (g-LL-III). The N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) was covalently linked to the Asn residue and the interaction of g-LL-III with bacterial model membranes, together with its resistance to proteases, were investigated. Glycosylation did not affect the peptide mechanism of action and its biological activity against both bacteria and eukaryotic cells. Interestingly, a higher resistance to the activity of proteolytic enzymes was achieved. The reported results pave the way for the successful application of AMPs in medicine and biotechnological fields.

Instrument

J-1500

Keywords

antibiotics,. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs),. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs)