Phospholipid-driven differences determine the action of the synthetic antimicrobial peptide OP-145 on Gram-positive bacterial and mammalian membrane model systems

OP-145, a synthetic antimicrobial peptide developed from a screen of the human cathelicidin LL-37, displays strong antibacterial activities and is — at considerably higher concentrations — lytic to human cells. To obtain more insight into its actions, we investigated the interactions between OP-145 and liposomes composed of phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and phosphatidylcholine (PC), resembling bacterial and mammalian membranes, respectively. Circular dichroism analyses of OP-145 demonstrated a predominant α-helical conformation in the presence of both membrane mimics, indicating that the different membrane-perturbation mechanisms are not due to different secondary structures. Membrane thinning and formation of quasi-interdigitated lipid–peptide structures was observed in PG bilayers, while OP-145 led to disintegration of PC liposomes into disk-like micelles and bilayer sheets. Although OP-145 was capable of binding lipoteichoic acid and peptidoglycan, the presence of these bacterial cell wall components did not retain OP-145 and hence did not interfere with the activity of the peptide toward PG membranes. Furthermore, physiological Ca++ concentrations did neither influence the membrane activity of OP-145 in model systems nor the killing of Staphylococcus aureus. However, addition of OP-145 at physiological Ca++-concentrations to PG membranes, but not PC membranes, resulted in the formation of elongated enrolled structures similar to cochleate-like structures. In summary, phospholipid-driven differences in incorporation of OP-145 into the lipid bilayers govern the membrane activity of the peptide on bacterial and mammalian membrane mimics.