Octávio L Franco

• Professor at Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB)

Molecular de-extinction has emerged as a novel strategy for studying biological molecules throughout evolutionary history. Among the myriad possibilities offered by ancient genomes and proteomes, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) stand out as particularly promising alternatives to traditional antibiotics. Various strategies, including software tools an...

Background/Objectives: Cm-p5 and its cyclic monomeric and dimeric analogues are known for their antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, and antibiofilm activities. Previously, our cyclization method produced a mixture of peptides that were difficult to separate, which was then improved by a selective synthesis of the parallel dimer and its differenti...

Proteinaceous and non-proteinaceous compounds with insecticidal activities have been isolated from plant sources. Here, protein extracts from Pequi seeds (Caryocar brasiliense) showed in vitro activity against trypsin-like enzymes. However, no activity was obtained against cancer cells, phytopathogenic fungi or human pathogenic bacteria. Further pu...

Large language models (LLMs) have significantly impacted various domains of our society, including recent applications in complex fields such as biology and chemistry. These models, built on sophisticated neural network architectures and trained on extensive datasets, are powerful tools for designing, optimizing, and generating molecules. This revi...

Peptides constitute alternative molecules for the treatment of infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. However, their therapeutic effectiveness is often limited by enzymatic degradation, chemical and physical instability, and toxicity toward healthy human cells. To improve their pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) pro...

Defensins are present in many organisms and are divided into two evolutionary groups, termed cis- and trans-defensins. Cis-defensins have only recently been reported in bacteria, and knowledge of these defensins is limited, with no family classification. Here, we describe the identification of 74 cis-defensins from bacteria and propose five classes...

Molecular de-extinction is an emerging field that identifies potentially useful molecules throughout evolution. Here, we computationally mine genomes, searching for molecules called defensins, which play a role in host immunity. Our approach leads to the discovery of six undescribed b-defensins, five of which are derived from two different extinct...

Background Resistant infectious diseases caused by gram-negative bacteria are among the most serious worldwide health problems. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been explored as promising antibacterial, antibiofilm, and anti-infective candidates to address these health challenges. Major conclusions Here we report the potent antibacterial effect...

AVALIAÇÃO MULTIFUNCIONAL DO PEPTÍDEO SINTÉTICO BIOINSPIRADO NA TOXINA TITYUS SERRULATUS à apresentação de um peptídeo sintético: SEQ ID NO:1 (Ts-MAP1), no qual foi planejado racionalmente por métodos de bioinformática avançada, sem apresentar ação citotóxicos e hemolíticos em determinados concentrações e com atividade direta contra diferentes m...

Diverse computational approaches have been widely used to assist in designing antimicrobial peptides with enhanced activities. This tactic has also been used to address the need for new treatment alternatives to combat resistant bacterial infections. Herein, we have designed eight variants from a natural peptide, pro-adrenomedullin N-terminal 20 pe...

Bacterial resistance has become a serious public health problem in recent years, thus encouraging the search for new antimicrobial agents. Here, we report an antimicrobial peptide (AMP), called PEPAD, which was designed based on an encrypted peptide from a Kunitz-type plant peptidase inhibitor. PEPAD was capable of rapidly inhibiting and eliminatin...

Bacterial infections pose a significant threat to human health, constituting a major challenge for healthcare systems. Antibiotic resistance is particularly concerning in the context of treating staphylococcal infections. In addressing this challenge, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), characterized by their hydrophobic and cationic properties, unique...

Human alphaherpesvirus 1 (HSV-1) is a significantly widespread viral pathogen causing recurrent infections that are currently incurable despite available treatment protocols. Studies have highlighted the potential of antimicrobial peptides sourced from Vespula lewisii venom, particularly those belonging to the mastoparan family, as effective agains...

N-capping (N-cap) and C-capping (C-cap) in biologically active peptides, including specific amino acids or unconventional group motifs, have been shown to modulate activity against pharmacological targets by interfering with the peptide’s secondary structure, thus generating unusual scaffolds. The insertion of capping motifs in linear peptides has...

Our research topic in Frontiers in Microbiology "Antimicrobial peptides and their druggability, bio-safety, stability, and resistance" containing a 23 papers edited by Wang, J., Franco, O. L., Aminov, R., de la Fuente-Nunez, C., Wang, G. (2024) was published online at 29 May 2024 via: frontiersin.org； Frontiers Media SA. doi: 10.3389/978-2-8325-498...

The excessive and often indiscriminate use of antibiotics in many areas of human activities has caused a widespread antibiotic resistance, which poses a major threat to the public health worldwide (Carratalá et al., 2020; Murray et al., 2022; Bessa et al., 2023; De la Fuente-Núñez et al., 2023). Even more worrying is the dearth of new antimicrobial...

Inflammation contributes to the onset and exacerbation of numerous age-related diseases, often manifesting as a chronic condition during aging. Given that cellular senescence fosters local and systemic inflammation, senotherapeutic interventions could potentially aid in managing or even reducing inflammation. Here, we investigated the immunomodulat...

Background and Aim Fructooligosaccharide (FOS) supplementation can stimulate beneficial intestinal bacteria growth, but little is known about its influence on training performance. Therefore, this study analyzed FOS and exercise effects on gut microbiota and intestinal morphology of C57Bl/6 mice. Methods Forty male mice were divided into four grou...

Molecular farming is commonly associated with the exploitation of plant cell cultures, parts of or whole plants, aiming to obtain products with commercial value. Genetic engineering has made it possible to obtain transgenic plants for agribusiness, with the capability to synthesize biomolecules with high added value and great pharmaceutical interes...

Bovine mastitis is a frequent infection in lactating cattle, causing great economic losses. Staphylococcus aureus represents the main etiological agent, which causes recurrent and persistent intramammary infections because conventional antibiotics are ineffective against it. Mastoparan-like peptides are multifunctional molecules with broad antimicr...

Viral infections are continually emerging with new characteristics and the potential to cause outbreaks or pandemics. Therefore, identification of new antiviral compounds is extremely necessary for therapeutic. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro action of host defense peptides against Human alphaherpesvirus 1 (HHV-1) replication. Vero cell m...

Lactic acid (LA) production has seen significant progress over the past ten years. LA has seen increased economic importance due to its broadening use in different sectors such as the food, medicine, polymer, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. LA production bioprocesses using microorganisms are economically viable compared to chemical synthes...

Mastoparans are cationic peptides with multifunctional pharmacological properties. Mastoparan‐R1 and mastoparan‐R4 were computationally designed based on native mastoparan‐L from wasps and have improved therapeutic potential for the control of bacterial infections. Here, we evaluated whether these peptides maintain their activity against Escherichi...

Background The term "diabesity," which refers to the simultaneous presence of diabetes and obesity, is associated with a significant mortality rate globally. However, there is a lack of comprehensive literature on the effects of stopping high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and then resuming it. This study sought to examine how the interruption...

Background The synthetic antimicrobial peptide, PaDBS1R1, has been reported as a powerful anti-Klebsiella pneumoniae antimicrobial. However, there is only scarce knowledge about whether K. pneumoniae could develop resistance against PaDBS1R1 and which resistance mechanisms could be involved. Objectives Identify via label-free shotgun proteomics th...

Nanotechnology advances have enabled the development of many nanomaterials. Nevertheless, these nano-sized particles may present some limitations related to their therapeutic properties. To overcome these obstacles, the study and development of smart nanomaterials have grown exponentially. Smart nanomaterials can respond to environmental stimuli an...

Sources of durable resistance against bacterial spot of tomato have been prioritized for disease management. However, traditional resistance through resistance genes is scarce and does not always confer a broad protection to this disease. An alternative is a recessive resistance, mediated by mutation or silencing of host genes that confer susceptib...

Bacterial infections of the respiratory tract cause millions of deaths annually. Several diseases exist wherein (1) bacterial infection is the main cause of disease (e.g., tuberculosis and bacterial pneumonia), (2) bacterial infection is a consequence of disease and worsens the disease prognosis (e.g., cystic fibrosis), and (3) bacteria-triggered i...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are considered a promising therapeutic approach against multi-drug resistant microorganisms. Besides their advantages, there are limitations to be overcome so that these molecules can become market competitive. One of the biggest limitations is proteolytic susceptibility, which could be overcome by structural modificat...

Aim: to evaluate the effects of the association of host defense peptide IDR-1002 and ciprofloxacin on human dental pulp cells (hDPSCs). Materials and methods: hDPSCs were stimulated in culture with ciprofloxacin and IDR-1002. Cell viability (by MTT assay), migration capacity (by scratch assay), production of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory medi...

Chagas disease, sleeping sickness and malaria are infectious diseases caused by protozoan parasites that kill millions of people worldwide. Here, we performed in vitro assays of Pa-MAP, Pa-MAP1.9, and Pa-MAP2 synthetic polyalanine peptides derived from the polar fish Pleuronectes americanus toward Trypanosoma cruzi, T. brucei gambiense and Plasmodi...

The intricate, tightly controlled mechanism of wound healing that is a vital physiological mechanism is essential to maintaining the skin's natural barrier function. Numerous studies have focused on wound healing as it is a massive burden on the healthcare system. Wound repair is a complicated process with various cell types and microenvironment co...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are components of natural immunity against invading pathogens. They are polymers that fold into a variety of three-dimensional structures, enabling their function, with an underlying sequence that is best represented in a non-flat space. The structural data of AMPs exhibits non-Euclidean characteristics, which means th...

Host Defense Peptides (HDPs) have, in previous studies, been demonstrating antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory capacity, important factors in the repair process. Knowing these characteristics, this article aims to evaluate the potential of HDPs IDR1018 and DJK-6 associated with MTA extract in the repair process of human pulp cell...

Throughout evolution, plants have developed a highly complex defense system against different threats, including phytopathogens. Plant defense depends on constitutive and induced factors combined as defense mechanisms. These mechanisms involve a complex signaling network linking structural and biochemical defense. Antimicrobial and pathogenesis-rel...

Cellular senescence is known to play a role in age-related skin function deterioration which potentially influences longevity. Here, a two-step phenotypic screening was performed to identify senotherapeutic peptides, leading to the identification of Peptide (Pep) 14. Pep 14 effectively decreased human dermal fibroblast senescence burden induced by...

Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections have increased the prevalence of sepsis and septic shock mortality worldwide and have become a global concern. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) show remarkable properties for developing new antimicrobial agents and host response modulatory therapies. A new series of AMPs derived from pexiganan (MSI-78) were sy...

In skin lesions, the development of microbial infection affects the healing process, increasing morbidity and mortality rates in patients with severe burns, diabetic foot, and other types of skin injuries. Synoeca-MP is an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) that exhibits activity against several bacteria of clinical importance, but its cytotoxicity can re...

The co-occurrence of biotic and abiotic stresses in agricultural areas severely affects crop performance and productivity. Drought is one of the most adverse environmental stresses, and its association with root-knot nematodes further limits the development of several economically important crops, such as cowpea. Plant responses to combined stresse...

The prediction of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) development among patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is currently based on clinical characteristics alone; reliable biomarkers are unavailable. In this study, the expression of myeloperoxidase ( MPO), Fms-related tyrosine kinase 4 ( FLT4 ), and coagulation Factor XIII A chain ( F13A1 ) was ev...

Microbial resistance is a major concern for public health worldwide, mainly because of the inappropriate use of antimicrobials. In this scenario, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as a potential therapeutic alternative means by which to control infectious diseases, because of their broad spectrum of action. However, some challenges can mak...

Most antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) exert their microbicidal activity through membrane permeabilization. The designed AMP EcDBS1R4 has a cryptic mechanism of action involving the membrane hyperpolarization of Escherichia coli, suggesting that EcDBS1R4 may hinder processes involved in membrane potential dissipation. We show that EcDBS1R4 can sequeste...

Peptides and proteins are involved in several biological processes at a molecular level. In this context, three-dimensional structure characterization and determination of peptides and proteins have helped researchers unravel the chemical and biological role of these macromolecules. Over 50 years, peptide and protein structures have been determined...

The functional organic‐inorganic hybrid nanoflowers (hNFs) have recently attracted considerable attention due to enhanced catalytic activity and stability. The main purpose of this study is to synthesize new Fenton reagents and investigate their catalytic activity, dye degradation performance and antimicrobial activity. This magnetic gallic acid na...

Host defense peptides (HDPs) are naturally occurring polypeptide sequences that, in addition to being active against bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other parasites, may stimulate immunomodulatory responses. Cathelicidins, a family of HDPs, are produced by diverse animal species, such as mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, and reptiles, to protect them...

Novel treatments toward Gram-negative bacteria are urgently needed to prevent even higher mortality levels associated with resistant bacterial infections. Predatory bacteria have been studied as a new type of treatment against pathogenic bacteria, including resistant species. However, because of limitations related to eradication efficacy, combinat...

Sorghum is one of the important dryland C4 crops mainly grown in sub-saharan Africa and Asia and serves as a source of food, feed, fodder and biofuel. It is the main source of dry season ration to the livestock and provides nutrition and security for livelihood of poor farmers in rural areas. Sorghum can withstand drought and comes up well in adver...

Infections caused by multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are a global threat to human health. As venoms are the source of biochemically diverse bioactive proteins and peptides, we investigated the antimicrobial activity and murine skin infection model-based wound healing efficacy of a 13 kDa protein. The active component PaTx-II was isolated from t...

This Research Topic 'Community series in Antimicrobial Peptides: Molecular Design, Structure Function Relationship and Biosynthesis Optimization' (https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/31022/community-series-in-antimicrobial-peptides-molecular-design-structure-function-relationship-and-biosynthesis-optimization) is the second volume of its pr...

Patients with respiratory viral infections are more likely to develop co-infections leading to increased fatality. Mucormycosis is an epidemic amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that conveys a ‘double threat’ to the global health fraternity. Mucormycosis is caused by the Mucorales group of fungi and exhibits acute angioinvasion generally in immunocomprom...

Introduction: Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) have received particular attention due to their capacity to kill bacteria. Although much is known about them, peptides are currently being further researched. A large number of AMPs have been discovered, but only a few have been approved for topical use, due to their promiscuity and other challenges, whic...

The developments in the food supply chain to support the growing population of the world is one of today’s most pressing issues, and to achieve this goal improvements should be performed in both crops and microbes. For this purpose, novel approaches such as genome editing (GE) methods have upgraded the biological sciences for genome manipulation an...

Bacterial resistance is a threat to health worldwide, mainly due to reduced effective treatment. In this context, the search for strategies to control such infections and suppress antimicrobial resistance is necessary. One of the strategies that has been used is combination therapy. In the present work, we investigated the in vitro efficacy of the...

The continuous rise in antimicrobial resistance during the last decades has significantly contributed to the R&D of alternatives such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). In the first volume of this topic, we proposed a combinatorial approach involving AMPs, antimicrobials and vaccines, which would be instrumental for the prevention and treatment of h...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have shown cell membrane-directed mechanisms of action. This specificity can be effective against infectious agents that have acquired resistance to conventional drugs. The AMPs’ membrane-specificity and their great potential to combat resistant microbes has brought hope to the medical/therapeutic scene. The high death...

Antimicrobial peptides are part of the organism’s defense system. They are multifunctional molecules capable of modulating the host’s immune system and recognizing molecules present in pathogens such as lipopolysaccharides (LPSs). LPSs are recognized by molecular patterns associated with pathogens known as Toll-like receptors (TLRs) that protect th...

Rice genes OsDjA2 and OsERF104, encoding a chaperone protein and an APETELA2/ ethylene-responsive factor, respectively, are strongly induced in a compatible interaction with blast fungus, and also have function in plant susceptibility validated through gene silencing. Here, we reported the CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of OsDjA2 and OsERF104 genes resulting...

Macrophage intracellular infections are difficult to treat because conventional antibiotics tend to have poor penetration of mammalian cells. As a consequence, the immune response is affected and bacteria remain protected inside macrophages. The use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is one of the alternatives developed as new treatments because of t...

Klotho is an anti-aging protein with several therapeutic roles in the pathophysiology of different organs, such as the skeletal muscle and kidneys. Available evidence suggests that exercise increases Klotho levels, regardless of the condition or intervention, shedding some light on this anti-aging protein as an emergent and promising exerkine. Deve...

The emergence of bacterial resistance has reduced the efficacy of conventional antibiotics. As promising therapeutic candidates to treat infections, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) emerge as an alternative for the control of microorganisms. AMPs have been found in several sources, including animals, plants and fungi, constituting early host defense a...

The main effectors in the innate immune system of Bombyx mori L. are antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Here, we infected B. mori with varied inoculum sizes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 25668 cells to investigate changes in morpho-anatomical responses, physiological processes and AMP production. Ultraviolet-visible spectra revealed a sharp change in...

The increase in resistance to conventional antimicrobials in recent years has boosted the search for new antibiotics to treat serious infectious diseases, especially those generated by multi-resistant bacteria. In this context, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are alternative molecules for use as new therapeutic agents. AMPs are small bioactive protei...

Silk produced by silkworms or spiders offers biocompatibility, biodegradability, stability, and biomechanical strength, making it an excellent biomaterial for wound bandages/dressings and skin grafts. Silk scaffolds are also bioactive matrices necessary to restore the healing cascade and barrier properties that induce skin organogenesis in chronic...

Structural diversity drives multiple biological activities and mechanisms of action in linear peptides. Here we describe an unusual N-capping asparagine-lysine-proline (NKP) motif that confers a hybrid multifunctional scaffold to a computationally designed peptide (PaDBS1R7). PaDBS1R7 has a shorter a-helix segment than other computationally designe...

Senotherapeutic molecules decrease cellular senescence burden, constituting promising approaches to combat the accumulation of senescent cells observed in chronological aging and age-related diseases. Numerous molecules have displayed senotherapeutic potential, but toxicity has been frequently observed. Recently, a new senotherapeutic compound, Pep...

Antimicrobial peptides are small molecules, up to 10 kDa, present in all kingdoms of life, including in plants. Several studies report that these molecules have a broad spectrum of activity, including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and insecticidal activity. Thus, they can be employed in agriculture as alternative tools for phytopathogen and...

The gut microbiota presents essential functions in the immune response. The gut epithelium acts as a protective barrier and, therefore, can produce several antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that can act against pathogenic microorganisms, including bacteria. Several factors cause a disturbance in gut microbiota, including the exacerbated and erroneous u...

Obesity is one of the major pandemics of the 21st century. Due to its multifactorial etiology, its treatment requires several actions, including dietary intervention and physical exercise. Excessive fat accumulation leads to several health problems involving alteration in the gut-microbiota-brain axis. This axis is characterized by multiple biologi...

Trichoderma reesei has been explored intensively in the laboratory and on an industrial scale for its highly potent cellulase secretion machinery since its characterization over 70 years ago. Emergence of new genetic tools over the past decade has strengthened the understanding of mechanism involved in transcription of cellulase genes in fungi and...

Plants subjected to phytopathogens can synthesize peptides with antimicrobial properties. In the last few decades, there has been an impressive increase in the prospection of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) due to continuous demand for the development and manufacture of new antibiotics. In this setting, plants have attracted scientific and pharmaceut...

Synoeca‐MP is a 14‐residue amidated peptide, belongs to the mastoparan family and it is found in the venom of the wasp Synoeca surinama and has antibacterial and antifungal activity. The low cytotoxicity of the peptide also makes it an excellent candidate for drug development. To better understand its selectivity and interaction with the membrane,...

Streptomyces are powerhouses for a diverse range of secondary metabolites, including antibiotics, anticancer and immunosuppressive agents and enzymes. Here, we report the genome sequence of Streptomyces sp. PSAA01 isolated from a soil sample taken in Manas National Park, Assam, in the Eastern Himalayan foothills of India.

Aging is a natural process of organism deterioration, which possibly impairs multiple physiological functions. These harmful effects are linked to an accumulation of somatic mutations, oxidative stress, low-grade inflammation, protein damage, and mitochondrial dysfunction. It is known that these factors are capable of inducing telomere shortening,...

The increasing number of multidrug resistance microorganisms is an alarming threat, and their rapid detection is essential to prevent nosocomial, foodborne, or waterborne infections. Many peptides derived from the venom of wasp Synoeca surinama have antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Synoeca-MP, an antimicrobia...

The threat of antibiotic resistance warrants the discovery of agents with novel antimicrobial mechanisms. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) directly disrupting bacterial membranes may overcome resistance to traditional antibiotics. AMP development for clinical use has been mostly limited to topical application to date. We developed a rational framework...

In the last few decades, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been a worldwide concern. The excessive use of antibiotics affects animal and human health. In the last few years, livestock production has used antibiotics as food supplementation. This massive use can be considered a principal factor in the accelerated development of genetic modification...

https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/17822/antimicrobial-peptides-molecular-design-structure-function-relationship-and-biosynthesis-optimization. About this Research Topic: The long-term use of antibiotics accelerated the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB). Around a total 300 million deaths are predicted to be caused by ARB un...

This research is an endeavor to extend the understanding of factors implicated in the pathogenicity of Mycoplasma arginini (M. arginini) and Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovipneumoniae). It shed light on the current knowledge gap in the role of two potential virulence determinants viz H 2 S production and catalase activity, for their possible roles...

The long-term use of antibiotics has accelerated the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB). Annual global death due to antibiotic resistance is over 700,000 in 2014, it is predicted that a continued rise in resistance would lead to annual death rate of 10 million by 2050 (O'Neill, 2014; WHO, 2014). Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a cla...