Dual Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative Activity of TcPaSK Peptide Derived from a Tribolium castaneum Insect Defensin

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) found in the innate immune system of a wide range of organisms might prove useful to fight infections, due to the reported slower development of resistance to AMPs. Increasing the cationicity and keeping moderate hydrophobicity of the AMPs have been described to improve antimicrobial activity. We previously found a peptide derived from the Tribolium castaneum insect defensin 3, exhibiting antrimicrobial activity against several human pathogens. Here, we analyzed the effect against Staphyloccocus aureus of an extended peptide (TcPaSK) containing two additional amino acids, lysine and asparagine, flanking the former peptide fragment in the original insect defensin 3 protein. TcPaSK peptide displayed higher antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, and additionally showed antiproliferative activity against the MDA-MB-231 triple negative breast cancer cell line. A SWATH proteomic analysis revealed the downregulation of proteins involved in cell growth and tumor progression upon TcPaSK cell treatment. The dual role of TcPaSK peptide as antimicrobial and antiproliferative agent makes it a versatile molecule that warrants exploration for its use in novel therapeutic developments as an alternative approach to overcome bacterial antibiotic resistance and to increase the efficacy of conventional cancer treatments.