Understanding Calcitermin and Metal interactions

Currently, the Stevenson lab is researching Calcitermin (VAIALKAAHYHTHKE) a peptide found in the human airways. Calcitermin has antimicrobial properties against Gram-positive bacteria in acidic buffer (pH 5.4) due to the protonation of its histidine residues, which allow it to interact with the negatively charged bacteria.15 It has been shown to have increased activity in the presence of Zn(II) and Cu(II), but the mode of action as well as the binding sites are unknown. Furthermore, it has yet to be determined if Calcitermin has increased potency in the presence of other metals such as Ag and Ni. We are tackling these questions in our lab through analysis of the binding thermodynamics of AMPs to their native metal partners as well as analyzing their interactions with UV-vis and NMR