Clark et al. comprehensively explore the primary structural features underlying the activity of a complete set of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). They find that the shortest active peptides were 4 or 5 residues in length, with activity being associated with 40% arginine, and multiple adjacent tryptophan residues. This study provides insights into the design of effective AMPs.
- Sam Clark
- Thomas A. Jowitt
- Curtis B. Dobson
