Defensins: The natural peptide antibiotic

Gao, Xihui; Ding, Junqiang; Liao, Chongbing; Xu, Jinliang; Liu, Huan; Lu, Wuyuan

doi:10.1016/j.addr.2021.114008

Cited by 86 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 204 publications

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“…To protect defensins from degradation, improve their solubility and consequently their bioavailability, the use of engineered nano-carriers may be a promising route. Nanoencapsulation systems including micro/nano -suspensions, -emulsions, -particles, -capsules and -hybrids are currently under practice for chemical pesticide application [ 219 ], and intensively investigated for medicinal applications of defensins [ 220 ].…”

Section: Exploiting Defensins To Protect Crops From Phytopathogenic F...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Defensins to Develop Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Synthetic Fungicides to Control Phytopathogenic Fungi and Their Mycotoxins

Leannec-Rialland

Atanasova‐Pénichon

Chéreau

et al. 2022

JoF

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Crops are threatened by numerous fungal diseases that can adversely affect the availability and quality of agricultural commodities. In addition, some of these fungal phytopathogens have the capacity to produce mycotoxins that pose a serious health threat to humans and livestock. To facilitate the transition towards sustainable environmentally friendly agriculture, there is an urgent need to develop innovative methods allowing a reduced use of synthetic fungicides while guaranteeing optimal yields and the safety of the harvests. Several defensins have been reported to display antifungal and even—despite being under-studied—antimycotoxin activities and could be promising natural molecules for the development of control strategies. This review analyses pioneering and recent work addressing the bioactivity of defensins towards fungal phytopathogens; the details of approximately 100 active defensins and defensin-like peptides occurring in plants, mammals, fungi and invertebrates are listed. Moreover, the multi-faceted mechanism of action employed by defensins, the opportunity to optimize large-scale production procedures such as their solubility, stability and toxicity to plants and mammals are discussed. Overall, the knowledge gathered within the present review strongly supports the bright future held by defensin-based plant protection solutions while pointing out the obstacles that still need to be overcome to translate defensin-based in vitro research findings into commercial products.

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Section: Exploiting Defensins To Protect Crops From Phytopathogenic F...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Defensins to Develop Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Synthetic Fungicides to Control Phytopathogenic Fungi and Their Mycotoxins

Leannec-Rialland

Atanasova‐Pénichon

Chéreau

et al. 2022

JoF

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“…Defensins are AMPs that belong to the β-sheet subclass and carry six disulfide-linked cysteine residues and 4–10 arginine residues per molecule ( Ganz et al, 1985 ). Defensins have been widely discovered from plants, insects, and mammals, with broad antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, enveloped- and non-enveloped viruses, and yeast and filamentous-phase fungi ( Ganz et al, 1990 ; Gao et al, 2021 ). Various functions of defensins have been investigated, including pore formation, neutralization or inactivation of secreted toxins, modulation of the immune system and enhancement of antibacterial effects, and induction of cytokine and chemokine expression to fight against bacteria ( Gao et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Human Amps That Have Antibacterial Activity Against Staphylo...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficiency of Antimicrobial Peptides Against Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcal Pathogens

Kawada‐Matsuo

Komatsuzawa

2022

Front. Microbiol.

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Antibiotics play a vital role in saving millions of lives from fatal infections; however, the inappropriate use of antibiotics has led to the emergence and propagation of drug resistance worldwide. Multidrug-resistant bacteria represent a significant challenge to treating infections due to the limitation of available antibiotics, necessitating the investigation of alternative treatments for combating these superbugs. Under such circumstances, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), including human-derived AMPs and bacteria-derived AMPs (so-called bacteriocins), are considered potential therapeutic drugs owing to their high efficacy against infectious bacteria and the poor ability of these microorganisms to develop resistance to them. Several staphylococcal species including Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus are commensal bacteria and known to cause many opportunistic infectious diseases. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococci, especially methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), are of particular concern among the critical multidrug-resistant infectious Gram-positive pathogens. Within the past decade, studies have reported promising AMPs that are effective against MRSA and other methicillin-resistant Staphylococci. This review discusses the sources and mechanisms of AMPs against staphylococcal species, as well as their potential to become chemotherapies for clinical infections caused by multidrug-resistant staphylococci.

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“…Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) produced by epithelial cells contribute to defense against bacterial infections 26 . V. cholerae and other pathogens must counter CAMPs to survive 27 . CAMPs include defensins (e.g., α-defensins, β-defensins and cathelicidin LL-37), whose expression can be constitutive or activated by microorganisms 28 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vibrio cholerae senses human enteric α-defensin 5 through a CarSR two-component system to promote bacterial pathogenicity

Liu

Wang

et al. 2022

Commun Biol

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Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae) is an aquatic bacterium responsible for acute and fatal cholera outbreaks worldwide. When V. cholerae is ingested, the bacteria colonize the epithelium of the small intestine and stimulate the Paneth cells to produce large amounts of cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs). Human defensin 5 (HD-5) is the most abundant CAMPs in the small intestine. However, the role of the V. cholerae response to HD-5 remains unclear. Here we show that HD-5 significantly upregulates virulence gene expression. Moreover, a two-component system, CarSR (or RstAB), is essential for V. cholerae virulence gene expression in the presence of HD-5. Finally, phosphorylated CarR can directly bind to the promoter region of TcpP, activating transcription of tcpP, which in turn activates downstream virulence genes to promote V. cholerae colonization. In conclusion, this study reveals a virulence-regulating pathway, in which the CarSR two-component regulatory system senses HD-5 to activate virulence genes expression in V. cholerae.

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Defensins: The natural peptide antibiotic

Cited by 86 publications

References 204 publications

Use of Defensins to Develop Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Synthetic Fungicides to Control Phytopathogenic Fungi and Their Mycotoxins

Use of Defensins to Develop Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Synthetic Fungicides to Control Phytopathogenic Fungi and Their Mycotoxins

Efficiency of Antimicrobial Peptides Against Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcal Pathogens

Vibrio cholerae senses human enteric α-defensin 5 through a CarSR two-component system to promote bacterial pathogenicity

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