Antimicrobial peptide LL37 is potent against non-growing Escherichia coli cells despite a slower action rate

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have long been considered as potential agents against non-growing, dormant cells due to their membrane-targeted action, which is largely independent of the cell’s growth state. However, the relationship between the action of AMPs and the physiological state of their target cells has been unclear, with recent reports offering conflicting views on the efficacy of AMPs against bacteria in a stationary phase. In this study, we employ single-cell approaches combined with population-level experiments to examine the action of human LL37 peptides against Escherichia coli cells in different growth phases. Time-lapse, single-cell data from our experiments reveal that LL37 peptides act faster on large, dividing cells than on small, newborn cells. We extend this investigation to non-growing E. coli cells in a stationary phase, where we observe that the action of LL37 peptides is slower on non-growing cells compared to exponentially growing cells. This slower action ..., , , # Data and supplementary information and video for article \"Antimicrobial Peptide LL37 is Potent Against Non-Growing *Escherichia coli* Cells Despite a Slower Action Rate\" by Mohammadi, Saucedo and Taheri-Araghi

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x3ffbg7vs](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x3ffbg7vs)

## Description of the data and file structure

**A. Description of the CSV data files.**

**Fig_1A_Size_vs_Time_Until_Death.csv**: This file contains data for cell size (in micrometers) as a function of time (minutes) for each cell until cell death. Each line of data represents one cell. 

**Fig_1C_InitialCellSize_vs_DeathTime.csv**: This file contains data on the average of initial cell size (in micrometers) as a function of death time (minutes). X, Y, and standard deviation values are labeled for each column of the data.  

**Fig_3C_DeathRate_vs_CellLength_Stationary.csv**: This file contains data on the average death rate (per minute) as a function of cell size (in micrometers) for cells in s...