Open AccessSpecific Anti-Leukemic Activity of the Peptide Warnericin RK and Analogues and Visualization of Their Effect on Cancer Cells by Chemical Raman Imaging
Author(s) -
Clémence Loiseau,
Jacques Augenstreich,
Adrienne Marchand,
Etienne Harté,
M. Gómez García,
Julien Verdon,
Marc Mesnil,
Sophie Lecomte,
JeanMarc Berjeaud
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0162007
Subject(s) - jurkat cells , cancer cell , leukemia , cytotoxic t cell , peptide , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , cancer , cancer research , chemistry , cell , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , t cell , immunology , immune system , in vitro , genetics
Antimicrobial peptides can be used as therapeutic agents against cancer cells. Warnericin RK and derivatives (WarnG20D and WarnF14V) were tested on various, solid tumor or leukemia, cancer cells. These peptides appeared to be cytotoxic on all the cell types tested, cancerous as well healthy, but very interestingly displayed no deleterious effect on healthy mononuclear cells. The mode of action of the peptide was proposed to be membranolytic, using chemical Raman imaging. Addition of peptide induced a large disorganization of the membrane leading to the loss of the content of inner compartments of Jurkat cell, whereas no effect was observed on the healthy mononuclear cells. The less hemolytic peptides WarnG20D and WarnF14V could be good candidates for the leukemia treatment.