In an article recently published in #naturejournal, researchers discovered that proteasomes, the #protein-degrading machines inside our cells, can also generate #antimicrobial defence #peptides (PDDPs) that stop #bacteria from growing by damaging their membranes.
By comparing known antimicrobial peptides (#AMPs) with the human #proteome, they found 308 unique AMPs embedded in 273 human proteins, many of which are conserved across species.
Computational analysis predicted that proteasomes could generate around 34 million peptides, of which about 415,000 have biochemical features of AMPs. The team identified 270,872 PDDPs spread across 92% of human genes, showing that nearly all proteins have hidden antimicrobial potential.
Experiments confirmed that these peptides can kill bacteria such as E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enterica. One such peptide PPP1CB reduced bacterial burden in mouse models of #pneumonia and #sepsis, even at doses much lower than standard #antibiotics.
This suggests #proteasomes are not only central to adaptive immunity but also provide a vast, untapped source of natural antibiotics for innate defence and possible new therapies against drug-resistant infections.
Jorge Galindo-Villegas Kabir Chowdhury Sofia Morais Albert Tacon Dominique Bureau Ronald Hardy Giovanni Turchini #aquaculture #aquafeed #disease #pathogen #husbandry #immunity
