Abstact

The antimicrobial resistance crisis along with challenges of antimicrobial discovery revealed the vital necessity to develop new antibiotics. Many of the animal proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (PrAMPs) inhibit the process of bacterial translation. Genome projects allowed to identify immune-related genes encoding animal host defense peptides. Here, using genome mining approach, we discovered a family of proline-rich cathelicidins, named rumicidins. The genes encoding these peptides are widespread among ruminant mammals. Biochemical studies indicated that rumicidins effectively inhibited the elongation stage of bacterial translation. The cryo-EM structure of the Escherichia coli 70S ribosome in complex with one of the representatives of the family revealed that the binding site of rumicidins span the ribosomal A-site cleft and the nascent peptide exit tunnel interacting with its constriction point by the conservative Trp23-Phe24 dyad. Bacterial resistance to rumicidins is mediated by knockout of the SbmA transporter or modification of the MacAB-TolC efflux pump. A wide spectrum of antibacterial activity, a high efficacy in the animal infection model, and lack of adverse effects towards human cells in vitro make rumicidins promising molecular scaffolds for development of ribosome-targeting antibiotics.