Isolation and identification of three bactericidal domains in the bovine alpha-lactalbumin molecule.

Proteolytic digestion of alpha-lactalbumin by pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin yielded three polypeptide fragments with bactericidal properties. Two fragments were obtained from the tryptic digestion. One was a pentapeptide with the sequence EQLTK (residues 1-5) and the other, GYGGVSLPEWVCTTF ALCSEK (residues (17-31)S-S(109-114)), was composed of two polypeptide chains held together by a disulfide bridge. Fragmentation of alpha-lactalbumin by chymotrypsin yielded CKDDQNPH ISCDKF (residues (61-68)S-S(75-80)), also a polypeptide composed of two polypeptide chains held together by a disulfide bridge. The three polypeptides were synthesized and found to exert antimicrobial activities. The polypeptides were mostly active against Gram-positive bacteria. Gram-negative bacteria were only poorly susceptible to the bactericidal action of the polypeptides. GYGGVSLPEWVCTTF ALCSEK was most, EQLTK least bactericidal. Replacement of leucine (23) with isoleucine, having a similar chemical structure but higher hydrophobicity, in the sequence GYGGVSLPEWVCTTF ALCSEK significantly reduced the bactericidal capacity of the polypeptide. Digestion of alpha-lactalbumin by pepsin yielded several polypeptide fragments without antibacterial activity. alpha-Lactalbumin in contrast to its polypeptide fragments was not bactericidal against all the bacterial strains tested. Our results suggest a possible antimicrobial function of alpha-lactalbumin after its partial digestion by endopeptidases.

Identification and isolation of a bactericidal domain in chicken egg white lysozyme.

Chicken egg white lysozyme exhibits antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Fractionation of clostripain-digested lysozyme yielded a pentadecapeptide with antimicrobial activity but without muramidase activity. The peptide was isolated and its sequence found to be I-V-S-D-G-N-G-M-N-A-W-V-A-W-R (amino acids 98-112 of chicken egg white lysozyme). A synthesized peptide of identical sequence had the same bactericidal activity as the natural peptide. Replacement of Trp 108 with tyrosine significantly reduced the antibacterial capacity of the peptide. By replacement of Trp 111 with tyrosine the antibacterial activity was lost. Replacement of Asn 106 with the positively charged arginine strongly increased the antibacterial capacity of I-V-S-D-G-N-G-M-N-A-W-V-A-W-R. The peptide I-V-S-D-G-N-G-M consisting of the eight amino acids of the N-terminal side had no bactericidal properties, whereas the peptide N-A-W-V-A-W-R of the C-terminal side retained some bactericidal activity. Replacement of asparagine 106 by arginine (R-A-W-V-A-W-R) increased the bactericidal activity considerably. The D enantiomer of R-A-W-V-A-W-R was as active as the L form against five of the tested bacteria, but substantially less active against Serratia marcescens, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus lentus. For these bacterial species some stereospecific complementarity between receptor structures of the bacteria and the peptide can be assumed.

Identification and isolation of the bactericidal domains in the proteinase inhibitor aprotinin.

Aprotinin is a protein proteinase inhibitor of 58 amino acids, located in bovine mast cells which also possesses antibacterial activity. Digestion of aprotinin by clostripain yielded three antimicrobial oligopeptide fragments with the sequences RPDFCLEPPYTGPCK (residues 1-15), IIRYFYNAKAGLCQTFVYGGCR (residues 18-39) and AKRNNFKSAEDCMRTCGGA (residues 40-58). With the exception of residues 16 (alanyl) and 17 (arginyl) they cover the whole aprotinin structure. The three oligopeptides were synthesized and found to exert a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities. Most potent was oligopeptide IIRYFYNAKAGLCQTFVYGGCR which at a concentration of 7 x 10(-9) M exhibited a high bactericidal activity against the eleven gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains tested. None of the purified oligopeptides showed any antiproteolytic activity. Our results suggest that aprotinin has multiple antimicrobial domains which are independent of the antiproteolytic function of the original molecule.