WELCOME TO THE
RESEARCH
Dr. Wenyi Li is a Senior Lecturer and NHMRC Investigator (Emerging Leadership Level 1) in the development of antimicrobials to combat nosocomial infections by using his chemical biology expertise and skillset at Department of Biochemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. By fostering an active collaborative research network, Dr Li has obtained several outstanding successful grants of a total of >$2 million, including 1 NHMRC Investigator EL1 grant, CIA Ramaciotti Health Investment Grant and 1 CIE NHMRC Ideas Grant.
Fostering innovation through cutting-edge research
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“Dedicated to advancing chemical biology and combating infections through collaboration.”
— Dr. Wenyi Li
Contact
Address
La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science
Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry
La Trobe University | Bundoora, Victoria | 3086 | Australia
Email
wenyi.li@latrobe.edu.au
Phone
+61 (03) 9479 6336
Aggregation of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) enhances their efficacy by destabilising the bacterial cell wall, membrane, and cytosolic proteins. Developing aggregation-prone AMPs offers a promising strategy to combat antibiotic resistance, though predicting such AMPs and understanding bacterial responses remain challenging. Octopus bimaculoides, a cephalopod species, lacks known AMP gene families, yet its protein fragments were used to predict AMPs via artificial intelligence tools. Four peptides (Oct-P1, Oct-P2, Oct-P3, and Oct-P4) were identified based on their aggregation propensity. Among them, Oct-P2 reduced the viability of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus by up to 90%, confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It further aggregated plasmid DNA in vitro, and the presence of extracellular DNA reduced their antibacterial activity. With knockout mutants, it revealed that Oct-P2 was internalised into bacterial cells, possibly through membrane transport proteins, enhancing its antibacterial effect. Aggregation-induced emission assays and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that Oct-P2 aggregates with transcription promoter DNA, inhibiting transcription and translation in vitro. This dual-target mechanism not only highlights the potential of Oct-P2 as a lead template for new antimicrobial drug development, but also opens a new window for discovering AMPs from protein fragments against the upcoming challenge of bacterial infections.