Antimicrobial Activities of Marine Protein and Peptides

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are known as host defense peptides. This chapter first discusses preparation, purification and characterization of AMPs from marine protein sources. Next, it presents experimental techniques utilized to study AMPs and their effects on bacterial cells. The majority of experiments to date have focused primarily on the interaction of cationic peptides with model membrane systems. These have indicated that all AMPs interact with membranes and tend to divide peptides into two mechanistic classes: membrane-disruptive and non-membrane-disruptive. Membrane-disruptive peptides are generally reported to be of the a-helical structural class. Three mechanistic models, the ‘barrel-stave’, ‘micellar-aggregate’ and ‘carpet’ models, have been developed to explain membrane disruption. Finally, the chapter suggests that AMPs have potent capacities for new antibiotic development in the pharmaceutical as well as the food industries, as novel antimicrobial agents.