Abstract

The inhibitory properties of phosphorylated cystatin alpha (P-cystatin alpha) and a conjugated protein of the P-cystatin alpha with filaggrin linker segment peptide (FLSP) against the growth of Staphylococcus bacteria and poliovirus were investigated. Both the P-cystatin alpha and the conjugated protein (P-cystatin alpha-FLSP conjugate) as a model for the cornified envelope of skin inhibited the cysteine protease activity of Staphylococcus aureus V8. The protease activity was inhibited by normal cornified envelope of newborn rat skin, which contains P-cystatin alpha, and P-cystatin alpha in cornified envelope of newborn rat skin also suppressed the growth of S. aureus V8. When P-cystatin alpha or P-cystatin alpha-FLSP conjugate was added to cultured HeLa cells infected with poliovirus, 50-70% of the cell-death due to poliovirus infection was prevented. The poliovirus 3C protease activity in the infected HeLa cells was inhibited by P-cystatin alpha or P-cystatin alpha-FLSP conjugate. As a result, the processing of viral capsid peptides was suppressed. These findings suggest that P-cystatin alpha and P-cystatin alpha-FLSP conjugate could play the role of the barrier against microorganism infections due to inhibition of their cysteine protease activities.

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