The growing demand for minimally processed foods has heightened the risk of pathogenic contamination. Balancing antimicrobial efficacy with the preservation of probiotic activity remains a significant challenge. In this study, we employed phage display peptide library screening, combined with next-generation sequencing to identify the HIMPIQA domain, which selectively targets pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) in just one screening round. Using the yXy(PX)₄yXy template, we designed antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) where ‘y’ represents hydrophobic amino acids, and ‘X' represents positively charged residues. The peptide WK, combining HIMPIQA with a Trp/Lys-based antimicrobial domain, demonstrated high specificity and antibacterial activity. Molecular docking revealed WK's binding to FaeG and mechanistic studies showed its ability to disrupt E. coli membranes while maintaining probiotic viability. WK's application as a preservative enhanced the shelf life of yogurt and tomatoes. This innovative approach showcases the potential of phage display in developing targeted AMPs for food preservation and safety.

中文翻译：

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大肠杆菌靶向抗菌肽的开发：结合噬菌体展示和合理设计进行食品安全应用


对最低限度加工食品的需求不断增长，这增加了病原菌污染的风险。平衡抗菌功效与保持益生菌活性仍然是一项重大挑战。在这项研究中，我们采用噬菌体展示肽库筛选，结合下一代测序来识别 HIMPIQA 结构域，该结构域仅在一轮筛选中选择性靶向致病性大肠杆菌 （E. coli）。使用 yXy（PX）₄yXy 模板，我们设计了抗菌肽 （AMP），其中“y”代表疏水性氨基酸，“X”代表带正电荷的残基。肽 WK 将 HIMPIQA 与基于 Trp/Lys 的抗菌结构域相结合，表现出高特异性和抗菌活性。分子对接揭示了 WK 与 FaeG 的结合，机制研究表明它能够在保持益生菌活力的同时破坏大肠杆菌膜。WK 作为防腐剂的应用延长了酸奶和西红柿的保质期。这种创新方法展示了噬菌体展示在开发用于食品保存和安全的靶向 AMP 方面的潜力。