Surface-Induced Peptide Nanofibers for Selective Bacteria Trapping

The abuse of antibiotics has led to the emergence of various drug-resistant bacterial strains that threaten human health. Other than a continuous screen for antibiotics, alternative strategies need to be adopted to inhibit bacterial invasion. Herein, we de novo designed a self-assembling peptide that contains a bacteria-binding domain, a linker, and a self-assembly motif. This peptide could specifically bind with a surface protein on Staphylococcus aureus, subsequently self-assemble to form nanofibers, and selectively engulf and trap the bacteria. Thus, these trapped bacteria lack the ability to invade host cells and are unable to form a biofilm. More importantly, the designed peptide is nontoxic to human cells. Such a "trap but not kill" strategy could serve as an alternative to conventional antibiotics and shows great potential for treating bacteria.