TY - JOUR
T1 - Selective antimicrobial action is provided by phenol-soluble modulins derived from staphylococcus epidermidis, a normal resident of the skin
AU - Cogen, Anna L.
AU - Yamasaki, Kenshi
AU - Sanchez, Katheryn M.
AU - Dorschner, Robert A.
AU - Lai, Yuping
AU - MacLeod, Daniel T.
AU - Torpey, Justin W.
AU - Otto, Michael
AU - Nizet, Victor
AU - Kim, Judy E.
AU - Gallo, Richard L.
PY - 2010/1
Y1 - 2010/1
N2 - Antimicrobial peptides serve as a first line of innate immune defense against invading organisms such as bacteria and viruses. In this study, we hypothesized that peptides produced by a normal microbial resident of human skin, Staphylococcus epidermidis, might also act as an antimicrobial shield and contribute to normal defense at the epidermal interface. We show by circular dichroism and tryptophan spectroscopy that phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs) γ and produced by S. epidermidis have an α-helical character and a strong lipid membrane interaction similar to mammalian AMPs such as LL-37. Both PSMs directly induced lipid vesicle leakage and exerted selective antimicrobial action against skin pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus. PSMs functionally cooperated with each other and LL-37 to enhance antimicrobial action. Moreover, PSMs reduced Group A Streptococcus (GAS) but not the survival of S. epidermidis on mouse skin. Thus, these data suggest that the production of PSMγ and PSM by S. epidermidis can benefit cutaneous immune defense by selectively inhibiting the survival of skin pathogens while maintaining the normal skin microbiome.
AB - Antimicrobial peptides serve as a first line of innate immune defense against invading organisms such as bacteria and viruses. In this study, we hypothesized that peptides produced by a normal microbial resident of human skin, Staphylococcus epidermidis, might also act as an antimicrobial shield and contribute to normal defense at the epidermal interface. We show by circular dichroism and tryptophan spectroscopy that phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs) γ and produced by S. epidermidis have an α-helical character and a strong lipid membrane interaction similar to mammalian AMPs such as LL-37. Both PSMs directly induced lipid vesicle leakage and exerted selective antimicrobial action against skin pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus. PSMs functionally cooperated with each other and LL-37 to enhance antimicrobial action. Moreover, PSMs reduced Group A Streptococcus (GAS) but not the survival of S. epidermidis on mouse skin. Thus, these data suggest that the production of PSMγ and PSM by S. epidermidis can benefit cutaneous immune defense by selectively inhibiting the survival of skin pathogens while maintaining the normal skin microbiome.
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U2 - 10.1038/jid.2009.243
DO - 10.1038/jid.2009.243
M3 - Article
C2 - 19710683
AN - SCOPUS:72049093749
VL - 130
SP - 192
EP - 200
JO - Journal of Investigative Dermatology
JF - Journal of Investigative Dermatology
SN - 0022-202X
IS - 1
ER -