• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제20권8호
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• pp.1185-1188
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• 2010

Previously, papiliocin was isolated from the swallowtail butterfly Papilio xuthus and its antimicrobial activity was suggested. In this study, the antifungal mechanism of papiliocin against Candida albicans was investigated. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) fluorescence analysis indicated that papiliocin disturbed the fungal plasma membrane. Moreover, the assessment of the release of FITC-dextran (FD) from liposomes further demonstrated that the antifungal mechanism of papiliocin could have originated from the pore-forming action and that the radius of the pores was presumed to be anywhere from 2.3 to 3.3 nm.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제43권2호
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• pp.94-98
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• 2021

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) induce a variety of cellular responses, such as proliferation, differentiation, senescence, and apoptosis. Intestinal epithelial cells are continuously exposed to ROS, and excessive generation of ROS severely damages cells via oxidative stress. Pro-inflammatory cytokines may lead to intestinal inflammation and damage by inducing excessive ROS generation. In this study, we showed that papiliocin, an antimicrobial peptide, significantly inhibited ROS production, without affecting cell viability. Moreover, TNF-α and IL-6 expression was decreased in the intestinal epithelial cells. The activity of papiliocin may significantly contribute to preserving the integrity of the intestinal mucosa against oxidative damage and inflammation-related disorders.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제28권5호
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• pp.671-678
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• 2018

Papiliocin, isolated from the swallowtail butterfly (Papilio xuthus), is an antimicrobial peptide with high selectivity against gram-negative bacteria. We previously showed that the N-terminal helix of papiliocin (PapN) plays a key role in the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity of papiliocin. In this study, we measured the selectivity of PapN against multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria, as well as its anti-inflammatory activity. Interactions between Trp2 of PapN and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is a major component of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria, were studied using the Trp fluorescence blue shift and quenching in LPS micelles. Furthermore, using circular dichroism, we investigated the interactions between PapN and LPS, showing that LPS plays critical roles in peptide folding. Our results demonstrated that Trp2 in PapN was buried deep in the negatively charged LPS, and Trp2 induced the ${\alpha}$-helical structure of PapN. Importantly, docking studies determined that predominant electrostatic interactions of positively charged arginine residues in PapN with phosphate head groups of LPS were key factors for binding. Similarly, hydrophobic interactions by aromatic residues of PapN with fatty acid chains in LPS were also significant for binding. These results may facilitate the development of peptide antibiotics with anti-inflammatory activity.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제30권10호
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• pp.886-895
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• 2020

본 연구에서는 호랑나비 유충의 유전체 분석을 통해 선별된 파필리오신 3의 항균 및 항염증 활성을 확인하였다. 선행연구에서 RNA 시퀀싱 분석을 통해 호랑나비의 전사체를 분석하였으며, 결과를 바탕으로 인실리코(in silico) 분석을 진행하여 전사체 유래 항균 펩타이드를 스크리닝하고 선발하였다. 수행된 항균 활성 및 용혈 활성 테스트에서 파필리오신 3은 그람음성균인 E. coli와 그람양성균인 S. aureus에 대해 강력한 항균활성을 나타낸 반면 마우스 적혈구에 대한 용혈 활성은 전혀 없었다. 다음으로 마우스 대식세포주 Raw264.7 세포를 이용하여 파필리오신 3의 항염증 활성을 확인하였다. 그 결과 파필리오신 3은 LPS로부터 유도된 Raw264.7 세포들의 산화질소 생성을 감소시키는 결과를 보여주었다. 뿐만 아니라 실시간 역전사 중합효소 연쇄반응(qRT-PCR) 방법과 효소결합면역흡착측정법(ELISA)을 통해 파필리오신 3이 Raw264.7 세포에서 전염증성 사이토카인(IL-6, IL-1β)의 발현을 감소시킨다는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 또한, 염증반응의 신호전달인자들(MAPKs, NF-κB)의 인산화를 억제하는 것을 확인하였는데, 이는 파필리오신 3이 LPS와의 상호작용을 통해 결합하여 효과를 나타낸다는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 이러한 결과들은 호랑나비 유전체 분석을 통해 확인된 파필리오신 3이 새로운 항균 및 항염증 치료제로서 개발하는데 가능성 있는 물질로 사료된다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제46권5호
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• pp.282-287
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• 2013

Cecropin A and papiliocin are novel 37-residue cecropin-like antimicrobial peptides isolated from insect. We have confirmed that papiliocin possess high bacterial cell selectivity and has an ${\alpha}$-helical structure from $Lys^3$ to $Lys^{21}$ and from $Ala^{25}$ to $Val^{35}$, linked by a hinge region. In this study, we demonstrated that both peptides showed high antimicrobial activities against multi-drug resistant Gram negative bacteria as well as fungi. Interactions between these cecropin-like peptides and phospholipid membrane were studied using CD, dye leakage experiments, and NMR experiments, showing that both peptides have strong permeabilizing activities against bacterial cell membranes and fungal membranes as well as $Trp^2$ and $Phe^5$ at the N-terminal helix play an important role in attracting cecropin-like peptides to the negatively charged bacterial cell membrane. Cecropin-like peptides can be potent peptide antibiotics against multi-drug resistant Gram negative bacteria and fungi.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제30권9호
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• pp.1305-1309
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• 2020

Insects possess biological defense systems that can effectively combat the invasion of external microorganisms and viruses, thereby supporting their survival in diverse environments. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a fast-acting weapon against invading pathogens, including various bacterial or fungal strains. A 37-residue antimicrobial peptide, papiliocin, derived from the swallowtail butterfly Papilio xuthus larvae, showed significant antimicrobial activities against several human pathogenic bacterial and fungal strains. Jelleines, isolated as novel antibacterial peptides from the Royal Jelly (RJ) of bees, exhibit broad-spectrum protection against microbial infections. In this study, we developed a novel antimicrobial peptide, PAJE (RWKIFKKPFKISIHL-NH₂), which is a hybrid peptide prepared by combining 1-7 amino acid residues (RWKIFKK-NH₂) of papiliocin and 1-8 amino acid residues (PFKISIHL-NH₂) of Jelleine-1 to alter length, charge distribution, net charge, volume, amphipaticity, and improve bacterial membrane interactions. This novel peptide exhibited increased hydrophobicity and net positive charge for binding effectively to the negatively charged membrane. PAJE demonstrated antimicrobial activity against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, with very low toxicity to eukaryotic cells and an inexpensive process of synthesis. Collectively, these findings suggest that this novel peptide possesses great potential as an antimicrobial agent.

• 한국자기공명학회논문지
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.54-60
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• 2015

Papiliocin, from the swallowtail butterfly, Papilio xuthus, shows high bacterial cell selectivity against Gram-negative bacteria. Recently, we designed a 22mer analog with N-terminal helix from $Lys^3$ to $Ala^{22}$, PapN. It shows outstanding antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria with low toxicity against mammalian cells. In this study, we determined the 3-D structure of PapN in 300 mM DPC micelle using NMR spectroscopy and investigated the interactions between PapN and DPC micelles. The results showed that PapN has an amphipathic ${\alpha}$-helical structure from $Lys^3$ to $Lys^{21}$. STD-NMR and DOSY experiment showed that this helix is important in binding to the bacterial cell membrane. Furthermore, we tested antibacterial activities of PapN in the presence of salt for therapeutic application. PapN was calcium- and magnesium-resistant in a physiological condition, especially against Gram-negative bacteria, implying that it can be a potent candidate as peptide antibiotics.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제29권11호
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• pp.1707-1716
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• 2019

The development of new antimicrobial agents is essential for the effective treatment of diseases such as sepsis. We previously developed a new short peptide, Pap12-6, using the 12 N-terminal residues of papiliocin, which showed potent and effective antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Here, we investigated the antimicrobial mechanism of Pap12-6 and a newly designed peptide, Pap12-7, in which the 12^th Trp residue of Pap12-6 was replaced with Val to develop a potent peptide with high bacterial selectivity and a different antibacterial mechanism. Both peptides showed high antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria, including multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, the two peptides showed similar anti-inflammatory activity against lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, but Pap12-7 showed very low toxicities against sheep red blood cells and mammalian cells compared to that showed by Pap12-6. A calcein dye leakage assay, membrane depolarization, and confocal microscopy observations revealed that the two peptides with one single amino acid change have different mechanisms of antibacterial action: Pap12-6 directly targets the bacterial cell membrane, whereas Pap12-7 appears to penetrate the bacterial cell membrane and exert its activities in the cell. The therapeutic efficacy of Pap12-7 was further examined in a mouse model of sepsis, which increased the survival rate of septic mice. For the first time, we showed that both peptides showed anti-septic activity by reducing the infiltration of neutrophils and the production of inflammatory factors. Overall, these results indicate Pap12-7 as a novel non-toxic peptide with potent antibacterial and anti-septic activities via penetrating the cell membrane.