Open AccessRole of membranes in the activities of antimicrobial cationic peptides
Author(s) -
Hancock Robert E.W.,
Rozek Annett
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2002.tb11000.x
Subject(s) - cationic polymerization , membrane , antimicrobial peptides , amphiphile , antimicrobial , chemistry , biological membrane , cytoplasm , biophysics , biochemistry , biology , peptide , organic chemistry , copolymer , polymer
Cationic amphiphilic peptides that are found throughout nature have very broad‐spectrum activities against microbes. The initial sites of interaction are with microbial membranes. Although dogma suggests that their lethal action involves disruption of the cytoplasmic membranes, a number of cationic peptides can traverse intact membranes to interact with internal targets.