Design and Engineering of Antimicrobial Peptides Based on LPcin-YK3, an Antimicrobial Peptide Derivative from Bovine Milk

We have previously derived a novel antimicrobial peptide, LPcin-YK3(YK3), based on lactophoricin and have successfully studied and reported on the relationship between its structure and function. In this study, antimicrobial peptides with improved antimicrobial activity, less cytotoxicity, and shorter length were devised and characterized on the basis of YK3, and named YK5, YK8, and YK11. The peptide design was based on a variety of knowledge, and a total of nine analog peptides consisted of one to three amino acid substitutions and C-terminal deletions. In detail, tryptophan substitution improved the membrane perturbation, lysine substitution increased the net charge, and excessive amphipathicity decreased. The analog peptides were examined for structural characteristics through spectroscopic analytical techniques, and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were used to confirm their activity and safety. We expect that these studies will provide a platform for systematic engineering of new antibiotic peptides and generate libraries of various antibiotic peptides.