Thermodynamics of Antimicrobial Lipopeptide Binding to Membranes: Origins of Affinity and Selectivity

The development of novel antibiotic drugs is one of the most pressing biomedical problems due to the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Antimicrobial peptides and lipopeptides are a promising category of candidates, but the molecular origins of their antimembrane activity is unclear. Here we explore a series of recently developed antimicrobial lipopeptides, using coarse-grained molecular-dynamics simulations and free energy methods to uncover the thermodynamics governing their binding to membranes. Specifically, we quantify C16-KGGK’s binding affinity to the two types of membrane by umbrella sampling. We also examined the origin of C16-KGGK’s selectivity for bacterial versus mammalian membranes by systematically varying the peptide sequence and salt concentration. Our data showed that the C16 hydrophobic tail is the main contributor to its affinity to lipid membrane, whereas the peptide portion is mainly responsible for its selectivity. Furthermore, the electrostatic interaction between the cationic peptide and anionic bacterial membrane plays a significant role in the selectivity.