Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38664456›Full record

ArticleNature communications2024

The antimicrobial fibupeptide lugdunin forms water-filled channel structures in lipid membranes.

Dominik Ruppelt, Marius F W Trollmann, Taulant Dema, Sebastian N Wirtz, Hendrik Flegel, Sophia Mönnikes, Stephanie Grond, Rainer A Böckmann, Claudia Steinem

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
7.9field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance: Innovative Drugs in Antibacterial Research.Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 2025
    Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Towards sustainable antimicrobial therapies forSustainable microbiology · 2024
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Dominik RuppeltInstitute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, Georg-August-Universität, Tammannstraße 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
Marius F W TrollmannComputational Biology, Department Biologie & Erlangen National High Perfomance Computing Center (NHR@FAU), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstraße 5, 91058, Erlangen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5696-7451
Taulant DemaInstitute of Organic Chemistry, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 18, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1932-2937
Sebastian N WirtzInstitute of Organic Chemistry, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 18, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
Hendrik FlegelInstitute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, Georg-August-Universität, Tammannstraße 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
Sophia MönnikesInstitute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, Georg-August-Universität, Tammannstraße 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
Stephanie GrondInstitute of Organic Chemistry, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 18, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7549-4936
Rainer A BöckmannComputational Biology, Department Biologie & Erlangen National High Perfomance Computing Center (NHR@FAU), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstraße 5, 91058, Erlangen, Germany. rainer.boeckmann@fau.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9325-5162
Claudia SteinemInstitute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, Georg-August-Universität, Tammannstraße 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany. csteine@gwdg.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8778-9283
University of Göttingen · DEUniversity of Tübingen · DEFriedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg · DEMax Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization · DE

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) Cluster of Excellence EXC 2124, CMFI, project ID 390838134Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) CRC 1456, Project B04
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Recently, a novel cyclo-heptapeptide composed of alternating D,L-amino acids and a unique thiazolidine heterocycle, called lugdunin, was discovered, which is produced by the nasal and skin commensal Staphylococcus lugdunensis. Lugdunin displays potent antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of Gram-positive bacteria, including challenging-to-treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Lugdunin specifically inhibits target bacteria by dissipating their membrane potential. However, the precise mode of action of this new class of fibupeptides remains largely elusive. Here, we disclose the mechanism by which lugdunin rapidly destabilizes the bacterial membrane potential using an in vitro approach. The peptide strongly partitions into lipid compositions resembling Gram-positive bacterial membranes but less in those harboring the eukaryotic membrane component cholesterol. Upon insertion, lugdunin forms hydrogen-bonded antiparallel β-sheets by the formation of peptide nanotubes, as demonstrated by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. These hydrophilic nanotubes filled with a water wire facilitate not only the translocation of protons but also of monovalent cations as demonstrated by voltage-clamp experiments on black lipid membranes. Collectively, our results provide evidence that the natural fibupeptide lugdunin acts as a peptidic channel that is spontaneously formed by an intricate stacking mechanism, leading to the dissipation of a bacterial cell's membrane potential.

Indexed as

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureusAnti-Bacterial AgentsAntimicrobial PeptidesCell MembraneMembrane LipidsMembrane PotentialsMicrobial Sensitivity TestsMolecular Dynamics SimulationNanotubesPeptides, CyclicSpectroscopy, Fourier Transform InfraredStaphylococcus lugdunensisWaterAnti-Bacterial AgentsAntimicrobial PeptidesMembrane LipidsPeptides, CyclicWater

Identifiers

PMID38664456
PMCPMC11045845
OpenAlexW4395447507

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.