• Expanding the toolbox for the study of antimicrobial peptides 

      Rainsford, Philip (Doctoral thesis; Doktorgradsavhandling, 2022-06-02)
      There is an urgent lack of new antibiotics in the face of an ever-expanding antimicrobial resistance crisis. The fact that fewer new classes of antibiotics are being developed, and resistance soon follows newly available antibiotics, only serves to underline the urgency of the matter. There is a clear need of a paradigm shift with regards to antibiotics, and one such hope is antimicrobial peptides ...
    • Goldilocks Dilemma: LPS Works Both as the Initial Target and a Barrier for the Antimicrobial Action of Cationic AMPs on E. coli 

      Jakubec, Martin; Rylandsholm, Fredrik G.; Rainsford, Philip; Silk, Mitchell; Bril'kov, Maxim; Kristoffersen, Tone; Juskewitz, Eric; Ericson, Johanna U; Svendsen, John Sigurd Mjøen (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel, 2023-07-20)
      Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are generally membrane-active compounds that physically disrupt bacterial membranes. Despite extensive research, the precise mode of action of AMPs is still a topic of great debate. This work demonstrates that the initial interaction between the Gram-negative E. coli and AMPs is driven by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that act as kinetic barriers for the binding of AMPs to ...
    • Label-free measurement of antimicrobial peptide interactions with lipid vesicles and nanodiscs using microscale thermophoresis 

      Rainsford, Philip; Rylandsholm, Fredrik G.; Jakubec, Martin; Silk, Mitchell; Juskewitz, Eric; Ericson, Johanna U; Svendsen, John Sigurd Mjøen; Engh, Richard Alan; Isaksson, Johan Mattias (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2023-08-03)
      One strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance is the discovery of new classes of antibiotics. Most antibiotics will at some point interact with the bacterial membrane to either interfere with its integrity or to cross it. Reliable and efficient tools for determining the dissociation constant for membrane binding (K<sub>D</sub>) and the partitioning coefficient between the aqueous- and membrane ...
    • Lulworthinone, a New Dimeric Naphthopyrone From a Marine Fungus in the Family Lulworthiaceae With Antibacterial Activity Against Clinical Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates 

      Jenssen, Marte; Rainsford, Philip; Juskewitz, Eric; Andersen, Jeanette Hammer; Hansen, Espen; Isaksson, Johan; Rämä, Teppo; Østnes Hansen, Kine (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2021-10-01)
      The emergence of drug-resistant bacteria is increasing rapidly in all parts of the world, and the need for new antibiotics is urgent. In our continuous search for new antimicrobial molecules from under-investigated Arctic marine microorganisms, a marine fungus belonging to the family Lulworthiaceae (Lulworthiales, Sordariomycetes, and Ascomycota) was studied. The fungus was isolated from driftwood, ...
    • Lulworthinone: In Vitro Mode of Action Investigation of an Antibacterial Dimeric Naphthopyrone Isolated from a Marine Fungus 

      Juskewitz, Eric; Mishchenko, Ekaterina; Dubey, Vishesh Kumar; Jenssen, Marte; Jakubec, Martin; Rainsford, Philip; Isaksson, Johan Mattias; Andersen, Jeanette Hammer; Ericson, Johanna U (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2022-04-21)
      Treatment options for infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are rendered ineffective, and drug alternatives are needed—either from new chemical classes or drugs with new modes of action. Historically, natural products have been important contributors to drug discovery. In a recent study, the dimeric naphthopyrone lulworthinone produced by an obligate marine fungus in the family ...