Antimicrobial potential of the combination of peptides derived from the toxin/anti-toxin system CcdB/CcdA

• Grant number: 17/15179-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2017
• End date: November 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Saulo Santesso Garrido
• Grantee: Sara Pini Zenatti da Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The fight against infectious diseases has been the subject of many studies in recent times, owing to the fact that they are among the leading causes of death of the human population. This occurs, in large part by the development of microorganisms multiresistant to the commercial antibiotics available on the market, due to intensive and inadequate applying. In this context, antimicrobial peptides (PAMs) found naturally in living organisms are a great promise for achieving this goal. The intracellular toxins produced by post-segregational death systems (PSK) in bacteria such as CcdB and ParE are recent examples of this strategy. These toxins have inhibitory effects against a group of enzymes called DNA topoisomerases that become effective targets for therapeutic agents. These enzymes are present in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells carrying out essential functions to cell viability. However, PSK systems are generally made of a toxin and an antitoxin that has the function of neutralizing the toxin effect. In one of these extensively studied systems, the CcdB acts as toxin and CcdA as an antitoxin. Given the advances in the discovery of new biologically active peptide molecules there is also a greater need to functional and structural studies of these molecules for better understanding the biological mechanism of action in cellular metabolism. Therefore, we intend perform interaction studies involving peptide molecules par toxin/antitoxin (CcdB/CcdA) in order to produce a system with greater efficiency in the combat of microorganisms interest in the human and animal health. (AU)