Interactions between model bacterial membranes and synthetic antimicrobials.

ORAL

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides comprise a key component of innate immunity for a wide range of multicellular organisms. It has been shown that natural antimicrobial peptides and their analogs can permeate bacterial membranes selectively. There are a number of proposed models for this action, but the detailed molecular mechanism of the induced membrane permeation remains unclear. We investigate interactions between model bacterial membranes and a prototypical family of phenylene ethynylene-based antimicrobials with controllable hydrophilic and hydrophobic volume fractions, controllable charge placement. Preliminary results from synchrotron small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) results will be presented.

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Authors

  • Lihua Yang

    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Abhijit Mishra

    • Dept of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Abhigyan Som

  • Gregory N. Tew

    • Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts

  • Gerard C.L. Wong

    • Dept of Materials Science and Engineering, Dept. of Physics, Dept. of Bioengineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
    • University of Illinois, Dept. of Physics, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
    • University of Illinois, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Bioengineering
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dept. of Physics, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Dept. of Bioengineering