ArticlePloS one2019
Mode of action of the antimicrobial peptide Mel4 is independent of Staphylococcus aureus cell membrane permeability.
Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers.
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Who cites it
61 citing papers in PubMed, 114 citations in OpenAlex.
- Targeting WHO-Priority MDR and XDR Gram-Negative Ocular Isolates by Combining Conventional Antimicrobials with Membrane-Active Peptides.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Exploratory Evaluation of Susceptibility Patterns of Clinical Isolates ofAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Characterization of Proline-Rich Antimicrobial Peptides with SbmA Transporter-Dependent and Independent Antimicrobial Activity towardACS infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Marine Antimicrobial Peptide as a Promising Alternative to Polymyxin B.Marine drugs · 2026Article
- Design and Evaluation of the Antibacterial Peptide FK18: a Therapeutic Approach for Mastitis in Dairy Animals.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Article
- Bactericidal and cell membrane disruption potential of protein extract from buttermilk-derived probioticFrontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- An antimicrobial daptide from human skin commensal Staphylococcus hominis protects against skin pathogens.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Membrane selectivity and pore formation of SprA1 and SprA2 hemolytic peptides from Staphylococcus aureus type I toxin-antitoxin systems.The FEBS journal · 2025Article
- Augmentation of Antimicrobial Activity of Spiniferin by Introducing an Arginine Residue Toward Its Amino Terminus: A Possible Role of Cation-π Interaction.ACS bio & med chem Au · 2025Article
- The Study of Antistaphylococcal Potential of Omiganan and Retro-Omiganan Under Flow Conditions.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2025Article
- Biofilm-Associated Candidiasis: Pathogenesis, Prevalence, Challenges and Therapeutic Options.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Antimicrobial activity of peptoids against Metallo-β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and other WHO priority pathogens, including Candida auris.Journal of applied microbiology · 2025Article
- The Role ofPharmaceutics · 2024Review
- Mystery of the Passerini Reaction for the Synthesis of the Antimicrobial Peptidomimetics against Nosocomial Pathogenic Bacteria.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- In Vitro Evaluation of Colistin Conjugated with Chitosan-Capped Gold Nanoparticles as a Possible Formulation Applied in a Metered-Dose Inhaler.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Antibacterial efficacy and membrane mechanism of action of theMicrobiology spectrum · 2024Article
- Article
- The activity of antimicrobial peptoids against multidrug-resistant ocular pathogens.Contact lens & anterior eye : the journal of the British Contact Lens Association · 2024Article
- Development of Antibacterial Resin Composites Incorporating Poly(METAC) Clusters.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Biochemistry, Mechanistic Intricacies, and Therapeutic Potential of Antimicrobial Peptides: An Alternative to Traditional Antibiotics.Current medicinal chemistry · 2024Review
1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Mel4 is a novel cationic peptide with potent activity against Gram-positive bacteria. The current study examined the anti-staphylococcal mechanism of action of Mel4 and its precursor peptide melimine. The interaction of peptides with lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and with the cytoplasmic membrane using DiSC(3)-5, Sytox green, Syto-9 and PI dyes were studied. Release of ATP and DNA/RNA from cells exposed to the peptides were determined. Bacteriolysis and autolysin-activated cell death were determined by measuring decreases in OD620nm and killing of Micrococcus lysodeikticus cells by cell-free media. Both peptides bound to LTA and rapidly dissipated the membrane potential (within 30 seconds) without affecting bacterial viability. Disturbance of the membrane potential was followed by the release of ATP (50% of total cellular ATP) by melimine and by Mel4 (20%) after 2 minutes exposure (p<0.001). Mel4 resulted in staphylococcal cells taking up PI with 3.9% cells predominantly stained after 150 min exposure, whereas melimine showed 34% staining. Unlike melimine, Mel4 did not release DNA/RNA. Cell-free media from Mel4 treated cells hydrolysed peptidoglycan and produced greater zones of inhibition against M. lysodeikticus lawn than melimine treated samples. These findings suggest that pore formation is unlikely to be involved in Mel4-mediated membrane destabilization for staphylococci, since there was no significant Mel4-induced PI staining and DNA/RNA leakage. It is likely that the S. aureus killing mechanism of Mel4 involves the release of autolysins followed by cell death. Whereas, membrane interaction is the primary bactericidal activity of melimine, which includes membrane depolarization, pore formation, release of cellular contents leading to cell death.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.