Department of Biochemistry

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Browsing Department of Biochemistry by Author "Aisenbrey, Christopher H. M."

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    The multifaceted antibacterial mechanisms of the pioneering peptide antibiotics tyrocidine and gramicidin S
    (American Society for Microbiology, 2018-10-09) Wenzel, Michaela; Rautenbach, Marina; Vosloo, J. Arnold; Siersma, Tjalling; Aisenbrey, Christopher H. M.; Zaitseva, Ekaterina; Laubscher, Wikus Ernst; Van Rensburg, Wilma; Behrends, Jan C.; Bechinger, Burkhard; Hamoen, Leendert W.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Cyclic β-sheet decapeptides from the tyrocidine group and the homologous gramicidin S were the first commercially used antibiotics, yet it remains unclear exactly how they kill bacteria. We investigated their mode of action using a bacterial cytological profiling approach. Tyrocidines form defined ion-conducting pores, induce lipid phase separation, and strongly reduce membrane fluidity, resulting in delocalization of a broad range of peripheral and integral membrane proteins. Interestingly, they also cause DNA damage and interfere with DNA-binding proteins. Despite sharing 50% sequence identity with tyrocidines, gramicidin S causes only mild lipid demixing with minor effects on membrane fluidity and permeability. Gramicidin S delocalizes peripheral membrane proteins involved in cell division and cell envelope synthesis but does not affect integral membrane proteins or DNA. Our results shed a new light on the multifaceted antibacterial mechanisms of these antibiotics and explain why resistance to them is virtually nonexistent. IMPORTANCE Cyclic β-sheet decapeptides, such as tyrocidines and gramicidin S, were among the first antibiotics in clinical application. Although they have been used for such a long time, there is virtually no resistance to them, which has led to a renewed interest in this peptide class. Both tyrocidines and gramicidin S are thought to disrupt the bacterial membrane. However, this knowledge is mainly derived from in vitro studies, and there is surprisingly little knowledge about how these long-established antibiotics kill bacteria. Our results shed new light on the antibacterial mechanism of β-sheet peptide antibiotics and explain why they are still so effective and why there is so little resistance to them.