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The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria poses a serious challenge to medical practice worldwide. A small peptide with sequence RWRWRW was previously identified as a core antimicrobial peptide with limited antimicrobial spectrum to bacteria, especially Gram-positive bacteria. By conjugating this peptide and its analogs with lipophilic phthalocyanine (Pc), we identified a new antibiotic peptide [PcG3K5(RW)3]. The peptide demonstrates increased antimicrobial effect to both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli. In addition, Pc also provides added and potent antimicrobial effect upon red light illumination. The inhibitory efficacy of PcG3K5(RW)3 was increased by ~140-fold to nanomolar range upon illumination. Moreover, PcG3K5(RW)3 was safe for mammalian cell and promoted wound healing in the mouse infection model. Our work provides a new direction to optimize antimicrobial peptides to enhance antimicrobial efficacy.

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Defensin is a small, cysteine-rich, cationic peptides family with antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties. Among all known defensins, neutrophil peptide-1 (NP-1), which is expressed mainly in rabbit neutrophils, has a broad resistance spectrum to pathogens such as Treponema pallidum, many Grampositive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, viruses. Besides, it has the same striking inhibition or toxic effect on some nausea and tumor cells. Due to the broad antibacterial spectrum and special mechanism of microbial inhibition, rabbit defensin has been transformed into some plants and expressed via genetic engineering. And it plays an important role in genetic engineering of anti-disease plants and plants species' improvement. This article reviewed and discussed the advantages and research progress of the rabbit defensin genetic engineering of plant in recent years, and also focuses on the existing problems and new strategies in this area.

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