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XB-ART-26537
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1989 Sep 01;8617:6597-601.
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Magainins and the disruption of membrane-linked free-energy transduction.

Westerhoff HV , Jureti D , Hendler RW , Zasloff M .


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Magainins, a family of positively charged peptides, are partly if not wholly responsible for antimicrobial activity in skin extracts of Xenopus laevis. We report here that members of the magainin family--i.e., the 21-amino acid peptide PGLa and the 23-amino acid peptide magainin 2 amide (PGSa)--dissipate the electric potential across various energy-transducing membranes and thus uncouple respiration from other free-energy-requiring processes. We propose that this is a likely mechanism for the antimicrobial effects of these compounds.

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Species referenced: Xenopus laevis
Genes referenced: magainins pgla

References [+] :
Ando, Inhibitory effect of sarcotoxin IIA, an antibacterial protein of Sarcophaga peregrina, on growth of Escherichia coli. 1988, Pubmed