Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39794318›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

The proline-rich antimicrobial peptide Api137 disrupts large ribosomal subunit assembly and induces misfolding.

Simon Malte Lauer, Jakob Gasse, Andor Krizsan, Maren Reepmeyer, Thiemo Sprink, Rainer Nikolay, Christian M T Spahn, Ralf Hoffmann

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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

8 authors.

Simon Malte Lauer *Institut für Medizinische Physik und Biophysik, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3518-5116
Jakob Gasse *Institute of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-0020-6019
Andor KrizsanInstitute of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Maren ReepmeyerInstitute of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-5822-9584
Thiemo SprinkCore Facility for Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Rainer NikolayInstitut für Medizinische Physik und Biophysik, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. nikolay@molgen.mpg.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4713-2548
Christian M T SpahnInstitut für Medizinische Physik und Biophysik, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. christian.spahn@charite.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2939-9487
Ralf HoffmannInstitute of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. bioanaly@rz.uni-leipzig.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9932-5646

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The proline-rich antimicrobial designer peptide Api137 inhibits protein expression in bacteria by binding simultaneously to the ribosomal polypeptide exit tunnel and the release factor (RF), depleting the cellular RF pool and leading to ribosomal arrest at stop codons. This study investigates the additional effect of Api137 on the assembly of ribosomes using an Escherichia coli reporter strain expressing one ribosomal protein per 30S and 50S subunit tagged with mCherry and EGFP, respectively. Separation of cellular extracts derived from cells exposed to Api137 in a sucrose gradient reveals elevated levels of partially assembled and not fully matured precursors of the 50S subunit (pre-50S). High-resolution structures obtained by cryogenic electron microscopy demonstrate that a large proportion of pre-50S states are missing up to five proteins (uL22, bL32, uL29, bL23, and uL16) and have misfolded helices in 23S rRNA domain IV. These data suggest a second mechanism for Api137, wherein it disrupts 50S subunit assembly by inducing the formation of misfolded precursor particles potentially incapable of evolving into active ribosomes, suggesting a bactericidal mechanism.

Indexed as

Antimicrobial PeptidesEscherichia coliRibosome Subunits, Large, BacterialCryoelectron MicroscopyEscherichia coli ProteinsProlineProtein FoldingRibosomal ProteinsRibosomesAntimicrobial PeptidesEscherichia coli ProteinsProlineRibosomal Proteins

Identifiers

PMID39794318
PMCPMC11723945

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Registered trials

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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.