Volume 11 Issue 4
Mechanisms of Antimicrobial Peptide Resistance in Gram-Negative Bacteria
Victor I. Band andDavid S. Weiss
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
2Yerkes Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
3Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
4Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) are important innate immune defenses that inhibit colonization by pathogens and contribute to clearance of infections. Gram-negative bacterial pathogens are a major target, yet many of them have evolved mechanisms to resist these antimicrobials. These resistance mechanisms can be critical contributors to bacterial virulence and are often crucial for survival within the host. Here, we summarize methods used by Gram-negative bacteria to resist CAMPs. Understanding these mechanisms may lead to new therapeutic strategies against pathogens with extensive CAMP resistance.
Keywords: antimicrobial peptide; AMP; CAMP; antibiotic resistance; Gram-negative