LyeTxI-b, a Synthetic Peptide Derived FromLycosa erythrognathaSpider Venom, Shows Potent Antibiotic Activityin Vitroandin Vivo.
Reis, P.V.M., Boff, D., Verly, R.M., Melo-Braga, M.N., Cortes, M.E., Santos, D.M., Pimenta, A.M.C., Amaral, F.A., Resende, J.M., de Lima, M.E.(2018) Front Microbiol 9: 667-667
- PubMed: 29681894 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.00667
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
6CL3 - PubMed Abstract: 
The antimicrobial peptide LyeTxI isolated from the venom of the spider Lycosa erythrognatha is a potential model to develop new antibiotics against bacteria and fungi. In this work, we studied a peptide derived from LyeTxI, named LyeTxI-b, and characterized its structural profile and its in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial activities. Compared to LyeTxI, LyeTxI-b has an acetylated N-terminal and a deletion of a His residue, as structural modifications. The secondary structure of LyeTxI-b is a well-defined helical segment, from the second amino acid to the amidated C-terminal, with no clear partition between hydrophobic and hydrophilic faces. Moreover, LyeTxI-b shows a potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative planktonic bacteria, being 10-fold more active than the native peptide against Escherichia coli. LyeTxI-b was also active in an in vivo model of septic arthritis, reducing the number of bacteria load, the migration of immune cells, the level of IL-1β cytokine and CXCL1 chemokine, as well as preventing cartilage damage. Our results show that LyeTxI-b is a potential therapeutic model for the development of new antibiotics against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.