polyalanine peptide (pALA) – Other Categories

The rise of antibiotic resistance has led to the search for new drug alternatives. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been identified as a lucrative area for molecule design. The polar fish Pleuronectes americanus expresses polyalanine peptide (pALA) which has been shown to be an AMP against biofilms, and gram-negative bacteria, while not being toxic to mammalian cells. pALA forms an alpha helical conformation that is effective at permeabilising the gram-negative bacteria membrane inducing fatal cell leakage. pALA provides a suitable model for molecule design to hopefully provide new drugs as we enter the post-antibiotic era.