Antibacterial Peptide Nucleic Acid–Antimicrobial Peptide (PNA–AMP) Conjugates: Antisense Targeting of Fatty Acid Biosynthesis

Antisense peptide nucleic acid (PNA) oligomers constitute a novel class of potential antibiotics that inhibit bacterial growth via specific knockdown of essential gene expression. However, discovery of efficient, nontoxic delivery vehicles for such PNA oligomers has remained a challenge. In the present study we show that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with an intracellular mode of action can be efficient vehicles for bacterial delivery of an antibacterial PNA targeting the essential acpP gene. The results demonstrate that buforin 2-A (BF2-A), drosocin, oncocin 10, Pep-1-K, KLW-9,13-a, (P59→W59)-Tat48–60, BF-2A-RXR, and drosocin-RXR are capable of transporting PNA effectively into E. coli (MICs of 1–4 μM). Importantly, presence of the inner-membrane peptide transporter SbmA was not required for antibacterial activity of PNA–AMP conjugates containing Pep-1-K, KLW-9,13-a, or drosocin-RXR (MICs of 2–4 μM).