Laura Bonnecaze, Katlyn Jumel, Anthony Vial, Lucie Khemtemourian, Cécile Feuillie, Michael Molinari, Sophie Lecomte, Marion Mathelié-Guinlet
The virulence of Staphylococcus aureus , a multi-drug resistant pathogen, notably depends on the expression of the phenol soluble modulins α3 (PSMα3) peptides, able to self-assemble into amyloid-like cross-α fibrils. Despite remarkable advances evidencing the crucial, yet insufficient, role of fibrils in PSMα3 cytotoxic activities towards host cells, the relationship between its molecular structures, assembly propensities, and modes of action remains an open intriguing problem. In this study, combining atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging and infrared spectroscopy, we first demonstrated in vitro that the charge provided by the N-terminal capping of PSMα3 alters its interactions with model membranes of controlled lipid composition without compromising its fibrillation kinetics or morphology...
May 1, 2024: Nanoscale Horizons: the Home for Rapid Reports of Exceptional Significance in Nanoscience and Nanotechnolgy