抗菌蛋白在生物科技上的應用

Application of Antimicrobial Peptides in Biotechnology

彭及忠(C. C. Peng)

《植物病理學會刊》 15卷2期 (2006/06) Pp. 69-75

https://doi.org/10.6649/PPB.200606_15(2).0001

摘要

抗菌蛋白又稱爲抗菌肽(Antimicrobial Peptides, AMPs)，也稱爲肽類抗生素(Peptide antibiotics)或天然抗生素(Natural antibiotics)，是一類具有抗微生物活性的小分子短肽蛋白質，其廣泛存在於細菌、植物、脊椎和無脊椎動物中，是一道天然的防禦系統，當生物體受到病原菌的侵害時，首先產生的防禦機制便是抗菌蛋白。抗菌蛋白可作用範圍，包括革蘭氏陽性菌、革蘭氏陰性菌、黴菌、原蟲、寄生蟲及含有外套膜的病毒。並有少數可毒殺腫瘤細胞。抗菌蛋白主要是通過與帶負電的微生物細胞膜直接作用，改變其通透性，造成膜的物理性損傷，導致細胞內容物外滲而死亡。其與傳統抗生素作用涉及到細菌細胞膜上或胞內特異的受體結合進而中斷大分子合成機制完全不同，且受體類型有限，細菌容易通過變異而產生抗藥性，抗菌蛋白的作用不涉及特定的受體，完全是陰陽離子的物理作用，它可以很快殺滅微生物而不產生耐藥性。由於抗菌蛋白作用機制的特殊且不易產生抗藥性，因此，抗菌蛋白將適合開發為新型的抗菌製劑廣泛應用在醫藥、農牧及生物科技產業上。

關鍵字

抗菌蛋白 ； 抗菌肽 ； 抗生素 ； 抗藥性 ； 防禦系統

並列摘要

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important components of the natural defenses of most living organisms against invading pathogens. They are relatively small (＜10kDa), cationic and amphipathic peptides of variable length, sequence and structure. AMPs have been isolated from a wide variety of animals, both vertebrates and invertebrates, and plants as well as from bacteria and fungi. These peptides exhibit broad-spectrum activity against a wide range of microorganisms including gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, protozoa, yeast, fungi and viruses. A few peptides have also been found to be cytotoxic to sperm and tumour cells. These insights may provide novel strategies to improve the prevention or treatment of infections, particularly against the pathogens that arc already resistant to antibiotics. Bases on the microbial structures or functions, the pharmacologic agents could be further developed to restore or potentiate the activities of conventional antibiotics by suppressing pathogen resistance to host defenses.

並列關鍵字

Antimicrobial peptides AMPs ； microorganisms ； antibiotics ； amphipathic ； pharmacologic agents