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Microbial Membrane-Permeating Peptides and Their Applications 379<br />

Gram-negative bacteria Gram-positive bacteria<br />

lp<br />

pp<br />

cp<br />

Yeast Mammalian cells<br />

cp<br />

bp<br />

cy<br />

lps<br />

pps<br />

pg<br />

cm<br />

Cytoplasm<br />

mp<br />

βg<br />

chi<br />

pps<br />

cm<br />

Cytoplasm<br />

gl pl<br />

FIGURE 18.1 Microbial and mammalian cell barriers. The cell barriers of different types of<br />

cells are illustrated. LPS, lipopolysaccharide; PG, peptidoglycon; PL, phospholipid; GL,<br />

glycolipid; PPS, periplasmic space; CM, cytoplasmic membrane; BP, braun lipoprotein; LP,<br />

lipoprotein; CP, carrier protein; PP, pore protein; TA, teichoic acid; MP, mannoprotein; βG,<br />

beta-glucan; CHI, chitin. (See Figure 18.2 for details on lipid characteristics.)<br />

its environment; however, cell membranes are in fact semipermeable to small molecules.<br />

In addition, microbial cell bilayers are coated with an extracellular matrix<br />

that provides a largely inert structural framework and protective barrier. The composition<br />

of the bilayer and the extracellular matrix varies with cell type, and these<br />

differences are important to the activities and cell type-specificity of cell-permeating<br />

peptides. Figure 18.1 illustrates cell barriers associated with different cell types.<br />

The cell barriers of prokaryotic cells are multilayered structures that provide<br />

stringent protection against foreign substances in the cell’s environment. 12 In the<br />

case of Gram-positive bacteria, the cell barrier consists of a phospholipid bilayer<br />

covered by a thick peptidoglycan layer and an outer capsule that varies in thickness<br />

cp<br />

cp<br />

ta<br />

pg<br />

cm<br />

cm

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