Antimicrobial Peptide AMP-17 Affects Candida albicans by Disrupting Its Cell Wall and Cell Membrane Integrity

BACKGROUND: Candida albicans is associated with high mortality among immunocompromised patients. Resistance to and toxic side effects of antifungal drugs require the development of alternative antifungal agents. AMP-17 is a novel antimicrobial peptide derived from Musca domestica that exerts excellent antifungal effects against the Candida species. In this article, we discuss the potential mechanism of AMP-17 against C. albicans from the perspective of affecting the latter’s cell external structure. METHODS: Recombinant AMP-17 was prepared by prokaryotic expression system, and its anti-C. albicans activity was detected by microdilution method. Microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to examine morphological changes in C. albicans. Cell wall-specific staining method was used to detect the change of cell wall integrity of C. albicans after AMP-17 treatment. AMP-17-induced damage to the C. albicans cell membrane was analyzed by fluorescent probes and glycerol assay kit. The expression of genes related to fungal cell wall and cell-membrane synthesis was detected by qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Morphological observations showed that the growth of C. albicans was significantly inhibited in AMP-17-treated cells; the cells appeared aggregated and dissolved, with severe irregularities in shape. Furthermore, AMP-17 damaged the integrity of C. albicans cell walls. The cell wall integrity rate of AMP-17-treated cells was only 21.7% compared to untreated cells. Moreover, the change of membrane dynamics and permeability suggested that the cell membrane was disrupted by AMP-17 treatment. Genetic analysis showed that after AMP-17 treatment, the cell wall synthesis-related gene FKS2 of C. albicans was up-regulated 3.46-fold, while the cell membrane ergosterol synthesis-related genes ERG1, ERG5, ERG6, and MET6 were down-regulated 5.88-, 17.54-, 13.33-, and 7.14-fold, respectively. CONCLUSION: AMP-17 treatment disrupted the cell wall integrity and membrane structure of C. albicans and is likely a novel therapeutic option for prevention and control of C. albicans infections.