Description |
Gramcidin D is a heterogeneous mixture of three antibiotic compounds, gramicidins A, B and C, making up 80%, 6%, and 14% respectively all of which are obtained from the soil bacterial species Bacillus brevis and called collectively gramicidin D. Gramcidins are 15 residue peptides with alternating D and L amino acids. The peptides assemble inside of the hydrophobic interior of the cellular lipid bilayer to form a β-helix. The helix itself is not long enough to span the membrane but it dimerizes to form the elongated channel needed to span the whole membrane. Gramicidin D is used primarily as a topical antibiotic and is one of the three constituents of consumer antibiotic polysporin ophthalmic solution.
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