Antimicrobial peptide resistance mechanisms of human bacterial pathogens.

Abstract

The critical role played by antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in mammalian innate immunity is increasingly recognized. Bacteria differ in their intrinsic susceptibility to AMPs, and the relative resistance of some important human pathogens to these defense molecules is now appreciated as an important virulence phenotype. Experimental analysis has identified diverse mechanisms of bacterial AMP resistance including altered cell surface charge, active efflux, production of proteases or trapping proteins, and modification of host cellular processes. The contribution of these resistance mechanisms to pathogenesis is confirmed through direct comparison of wild-type bacteria and AMP-sensitive mutants using in vivo infection models. Knowledge of the molecular basis of bacterial AMP resistance may provide new targets for antimicrobial therapy of human infectious diseases.

• Authors: Victor Nizet
• Journal: Current issues in molecular biology (Curr Issues Mol Biol) Vol. 8 Issue 1 Pg. 11-26 (Jan 2006) ISSN: 1467-3037 [Print] Switzerland
• PMID: 16450883 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Anti-Bacterial Agents
• Peptides
• Adenosine Monophosphate

Topics

• Adenosine Monophosphate (metabolism)
• Animals
• Anti-Bacterial Agents (pharmacology)
• Bacteria (pathogenicity)
• Drug Resistance, Bacterial (genetics)
• Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
• Humans
• Opportunistic Infections
• Peptides (pharmacology)
• Protein Binding
• Virulence (genetics)