Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are emerging as potent alternatives to conventional antibiotics, yet their diverse nature due to divergent mechanisms of action hinders rational design. Here, we present an electrostatics-stratified computational framework that uncovers key physicochemical principles governing AMP activity. Experimentally validated peptides were grouped by average charge per residue (i.e., the charge/length of the peptide) and analyzed through integrated sequence-, structure-, and chemistry-based descriptors. Distinct molecular signatures emerged across electrostatic regimes: low-charge/length peptides rely on amphipathic organization via structural compactness, whereas the intermediate-charge/length peptides exhibit balanced hydrophobicity and electrostatics. The high-charge peptides couple strong cationic attraction with lipophilicity and tryptophan anchoring to mainly disrupt membranes. Interestingly, hydrophobic moment, which is a measure of the amphipathicity, is found to be important in all three classes of AMPs. This study identifies distinguishing features of AMP sub-groups and suggests design guidelines for developing selective and potent next-generation AMPs.

Foreign