Researchers have developed a pioneering method to identify specific proteins that could be used to combat antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
Their findings have been hailed as a significant step in the fight against deadly infections. Lytic enzyme
ADVERTISEMENTs, which attack bacteria, have already been singled out as a potential solution but until now their potential to destroy harmful cells has been calculated on a largely ad-hoc basis.
Now scientists have found a way to pinpoint the proteins – naturally present in viruses and in body fluids such as tears, saliva and mucus – with the optimum characteristics for killing bacteria.
Unlike antibiotics, most lytic enzymes kill only a limited range of bacteria, which allows researchers to target superbugs while leaving surrounding tissue intact.
Joshua Weitz and Gabriel Mitchell, biologists at the Georgia Institute of Technology, joined Daniel Nelson, a biochemist at the University of Maryland, to identify the bacteria-killing characteristics of lytic enzymes.
They were able to determine, on a microscopic scale, the rate at which they pierce cell walls.This can be fatal to bacteria because of their internal pressure – the piercing is analogous to removing the wire on a shaken-up bottle of champagne.
Source: The Scotsman