2. Academic Validation
  3. Identification and Characterization of RK22, a Novel Antimicrobial Peptide from Hirudinaria manillensis against Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Identification and Characterization of RK22, a Novel Antimicrobial Peptide from Hirudinaria manillensis against Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

  • Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Aug 30;24(17):13453. doi: 10.3390/ijms241713453.
Xiaoyu Lu 1 2,  Min Yang 2 3,  Shengwen Zhou 2 3,  Shuo Yang 2 3,  Xiran Chen 2 3,  Mehwish Khalid 2 3,  Kexin Wang 2 4,  Yaqun Fang 2,  Chaoming Wang 2 3,  Ren Lai 2 5 6 7,  Zilei Duan 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
  • 2 Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, National & Local Joint Engineering Center of Natural Bioactive Peptides, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China.
  • 3 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China.
  • 4 School of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
  • 5 KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650107, China.
  • 6 National Resource for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Primate Research Center, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650107, China.
  • 7 Sino-African Joint Research Center, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China.
PMID: 37686259 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713453
Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, which are compounded by drug resistance. By manipulating the coagulation system, S. aureus gains a significant advantage over host defense mechanisms, with hypercoagulation induced by S. aureus potentially aggravating infectious diseases. Recently, we and Other researchers identified that a higher level of LL-37, one endogenous antimicrobial peptide with a significant killing effect on S. aureus Infection, resulted in thrombosis formation through the induction of platelet activation and potentiation of the coagulation factor enzymatic activity. In the current study, we identified a novel antimicrobial peptide (RK22) from the salivary gland transcriptome of Hirudinaria manillensis (H. manillensis) through bioinformatic analysis, and then synthesized it, which exhibited good antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, including a clinically resistant strain with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 6.25 μg/mL. The RK22 peptide rapidly killed S. aureus by inhibiting biofilm formation and promoting biofilm eradication, with good plasma stability, negligible cytotoxicity, minimal hemolytic activity, and no significant promotion of the coagulation system. Notably, administration of RK22 significantly inhibited S. aureus Infection and the clinically resistant strain in vivo. Thus, these findings highlight the potential of RK22 as an ideal treatment candidate against S. aureus Infection.

Keywords

Hirudinaria manillensis; RK22; Staphylococcus aureus; antimicrobial peptide.

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