1. Identifying Cell-Penetrating Peptides for Effectively Delivering Antimicrobial Molecules into Streptococcus suis.
- Author
-
Zhu, Jinlu, Liang, Zijing, Yao, Huochun, and Wu, Zongfu
- Subjects
PEPTIDE nucleic acids ,CELL-penetrating peptides ,STREPTOCOCCUS suis ,BACTERIAL cells ,GRAM-positive bacteria - Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are promising carriers to effectively transport antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), including peptide nucleic acids (PNAs), into bacterial cells to combat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, demonstrating significant therapeutic potential. Streptococcus suis, a Gram-positive bacterium, is a major bacterial pathogen in pigs and an emerging zoonotic pathogen. In this study, through the combination of super-resolution structured illumination microscopy (SR-SIM), flow cytometry analysis, and toxicity analysis assays, we investigated the suitability of four CPPs for delivering PNAs into S. suis cells: HIV-1 TAT efficiently penetrated S. suis cells with low toxicity against S. suis; (RXR)
4 XB had high penetration efficiency with inherent toxicity against S. suis; (KFF)3 K showed lower penetration efficiency than HIV-1 TAT and (RXR)4 XB; K8 failed to penetrate S. suis cells. HIV-1 TAT-conjugated PNA specific for the essential gyrase A subunit gene (TAT-anti-gyrA PNA) effectively inhibited the growth of S. suis. TAT-anti-gyrA PNA exhibited a significant bactericidal effect on serotypes 2, 4, 5, 7, and 9 strains of S. suis, which are known to cause human infections. Our study demonstrates the potential of CPP-ASO conjugates as new antimicrobial compounds for combating S. suis infections. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that applying SR-SIM and flow cytometry analysis provides a convenient, intuitive, and cost-effective approach to identifying suitable CPPs for delivering cargo molecules into bacterial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF