Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are crucial effectors of the innate immune system. They provide the first line of defense against a variety of pathogens. AMPs display synergistic effects with conventional antibiotics, and thus present the potential for combined therapies. Insects are extremely resistant to bacterial infections. Insect AMPs are cationic and comprise less than 100 amino acids. These insect peptides exhibit an antimicrobial effect by disrupting the microbial membrane and do not easily allow microbes to develop drug resistance. Currently, membrane mechanisms underlying the antimicrobial effects of AMPs are proposed by different modes: the barrel-stave mode, toroidal-pore, carpet, and disordered toroidal-pore are the typical modes. Positive charge quantity, hydrophobic property and the secondary structure of the peptide are important for the antibacterial activity of AMPs. At present, several structural families of AMPs from insects are known (defensins, cecropins, drosocins, attacins, diptericins, ponericins, metchnikowins, and melittin), but new AMPs are frequently discovered. We reviewed the biological effects of the major insect AMPs. This review will provide further information that facilitates the study of insect AMPs and shed some light on novel microbicides.
Highlights
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are multifunctional components of the innate immune defense systems in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms [1]
Insect AMPs are divided into three groups based on their amino acid sequence and structures: (a) Cecropins, the linear peptides with α-helix but lack cysteine residues; (b) Defensins with 6–8 conserved cysteine residues, have a stabilizing array of 3 or 4 disulfide bridges and 3 domains consisting in a flexible amino-terminal loop; and (c) peptides with an overrepresentation of Proline and/or
These peptides are mainly structured by a large number of antibacterial and toxic peptides isolated from various lepidopteran and dipteran species, which constitute a major part of the cell-free immunity of insects
Summary
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are multifunctional components of the innate immune defense systems in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms [1]. Bacteria do not develop resistance to AMPS as as to traditional antibiotics. These peptides can physically disrupt microbial cellular resistance to AMPS as as to traditional antibiotics These peptides can physically disrupt membranes and kill a broad spectrum of pathogenic microorganisms. Membrane is usually considered the primary target of AMPs [9,10]. The microbial membrane is usually considered the primary target of AMPs [9,10]. AMPs can facilitate more antibiotic molecules entering the microorganism therapies with conventional antibiotics [11]. AMPs can facilitate more antibiotic molecules entering cytoplasm, where they can interact with their target (Figure 1).
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