PROTEGRIN DESIGN

我们的长期目标是设计既可作为局部杀微生物剂预防性传播疾病（std），又可作为局部治疗药物治疗细菌性阴道病（BV）的蛋白肽。本项目的具体目标是：1。设计蛋白样分子，使多种性病病原体和与细菌性阴道病相关的细菌失活，而不影响正常的阴道菌群。2. 确定蛋白的-sheet和turn区域如何参与这些活动。3. 了解蛋白蛋白如何与其用作局部杀微生物剂相关的因子相互作用，包括a)宿主蛋白、多肽、多肽和细胞；B)宿主和微生物蛋白酶；C)壬氧醇-9其他表面活性剂。4. 目的：研究蛋白对阴道机会性白色念珠菌的作用。5. 研究蛋白如何组装成二聚体和低聚体，并确定这种组装是否以及如何与它们的抗菌、细胞毒性和溶血特性相关。蛋白蛋白是一种小而特别有效的β -薄片肽，能迅速灭活许多微生物，包括那些导致大多数性传播细菌感染的微生物。我们将使用固相肽合成和精确的抗菌测试方法来“微调”蛋白，以用于未来的阴道内应用。我们的目的是开发蛋白样肽，不影响阴道乳酸菌（如嗜酸乳杆菌和crispatus），但对白色念珠菌、性病细菌和与细菌性阴道炎/阴道病相关的菌群具有高度活性。我们可以通过在含有15-18个残基和两个分子内二硫键的蛋白蛋白中引入一个或两个氨基酸取代来获得这些性质。我们计划产生相对少量的其他蛋白蛋白变体，并测试它们对性病靶生物的活性。总的来说，这些研究将促进新型的、含有肽的局部杀微生物剂的开发，这些杀微生物剂是专门为阴道内使用而设计的。鉴于性传播疾病的流行和严重后果，迫切需要能够保护妇女和增强妇女权能的局部杀微生物剂。

Our long term goal is to design protegrin peptides that will be used both as topical microbicides to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and as topical therapeutics to remediate bacterial vaginosis (BV). The Specific Aims of this project are: 1. To design protegrin-like molecules that inactivate multiple STD agents and the bacteria associated with bacterial vaginosis, without affecting normal vaginal flora. 2. To determine how the beta-sheet and turn regions of protegrins contribute to these activities. 3. To learn how protegrins interact with factors relevant to their use as topical microbicides, including a) host proteins, peptides, peptides and cells; b) host and microbial proteases; c) nonoxynol-9 other surfactants. 4. To study the effects of protegrins on C. albicans a frequent vaginal opportunist. 5. To examine how protegrins assemble into dimers and oligomers, and ascertain if and how such assemble relates to their antimicrobial, cytotoxic and hemolytic properties. Protegrins are small, exceptionally potent, beta-sheet peptides that rapidly inactivate many microbes, including those responsible for most sexually transmitted bacterial infections. We will use solid-phase peptide synthesis and precise methods of antimicrobial testing to "fine tune" protegrins for future intravaginal application. Our intent is to develop protegrin-like peptides that do not affect vaginal lactobacilli (e.g., L. acidophilus and L. crispatus), but are highly active against C. albicans, STD bacteria, and the flora associated with bacterial vaginitis/vaginosis. We can obtain this constellation of properties by introducing one or two amino acid substitutions into protegrins with 15-18 residues and two intramolecular disulfide bonds. We plan to generate a relatively small number of additional protegrin variants and to test their activity against a panel of STD target organisms. Overall, these studies will facilitate the development of novel, peptide- containing topical microbicides that are designed specifically for intravaginal use. Given the prevalence and serious consequences of STDs, topical microbicides that can protect and empower women are urgently needed.