Poster Presentation 21st International Conference on Biological Inorganic Chemistry 2025

Wearing the inside out – the influence of enantiomeric exchange in Clavanin C on its coordination and antimicrobial properties (#441)

Jakub Gawłowski 1 , Mariusz Dziadas 1 , Agnieszka Matera-Witkiewicz 2 , Magdalena Rowińska-Żyrek 1
  1. Faculty of Chemistry, University of Wroclaw, Wrocław, Poland
  2. Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland

Antibiotic resistance is an escalating global concern. According to WHO projections, by 2050, multidrug-resistant bacterial infections could cause up to 10 million deaths annually. One of the most promising solutions with strong antimicrobial potential is antimicrobial peptides (AMPs)[1].

The coordination of divalent metal ions can significantly enhance the antimicrobial properties of AMPs. For example, clavanin C - a marine AMP isolated from Styela clava - forms complexes with Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions that exhibit remarkable activity against pathogens[2]. However, the use of AMPs is often limited due to their low enzymatic stability.

One possible strategy to increase peptide resistance to enzymatic degradation is enantiomeric exchange modification of the native peptide. An especially innovative approach in the bioinorganic chemistry of AMPs is the retro-inverso strategy. This method involves not only enantiomeric exchange but also reversing the peptide sequence (Figure 1).

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Potentiometric titration, mass spectrometry and spectroscopic methods (UV-Vis, CD and Far-UV CD) allowed us to determine coordination spheres of modified clavanins complexes and learn their secondary structures. We also used the HPLC method to evaluate the effect of enantiomeric exchange on enzymatic stability of peptides.

Our study aimed to examine the coordination and antimicrobial properties of modified clavanin C peptides. Additionally, we explored the effects of enantiomeric exchange strategies on the enzymatic stability of clavanin C.

Acknowledgements

Thank you for the support of the National Science Center (Grant UMO- 2022/47/O/ST4/01865 - M. R-Ż).

 

  1. J. Wątły, A. Miller, H. Kozłowski, M. Rowińska-Żyrek, J. Inorg. Biochem. 2021, 217, 111386.
  2. Miller, S. M.; Wa̧tły, J.; Hecel, A.; Rowińska-Żyrek, M. Inorg. Chem. 2021, 60 (17), 12730–12734.