A study revealed a hidden characteristic of the immune system that could open the way to new antibiotics to combat the growing threat of superbacing.
Published in The Nature Journal, research focuses on proteasome, a small structure found in each cell, traditionally known for recycling proteins. However, scientists have discovered that proteasome also plays a key role in defense against bacterial infections by generating chemicals that can kill bacteria.
The study, led by researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science, shows that when a cell detects a bacterial infection, the proteasome modifies its structure. Instead of simply decomposing proteins, it transforms them into antimicrobial agents which can pierce the outer layer of bacteria and destroy them.
“It is really exciting because we did not know that it was happening,” said Professor Yifat Merbl at the Weizmann Institute. “It reveals a new immunity mechanism, offering us a new defense line against bacterial infections.”
The discovery could be essential in the current battle against resistance to antibiotics, which claims the life of more than a million people per year. Superpposses, or bacteria resistant to current antibiotics, have become an urgent global health problem and new sources of antibiotics are desperately necessary.
Scientists have tested the antimicrobial properties of proteasome by-products on bacteria cultivated in laboratory and in animal models, including mice with pneumonia and sepsis. The results have shown that these natural antibiotics were as effective as some of the conventional drugs already used.
Dr. Lindsey Edwards, professor of senior microbiology at King’s College in London, described the results of “potential gold mine” to develop new antibiotics. She added: “In the past, we have filmed on soil samples for antibiotics, so it is remarkable that something like that exists in our own body.”
The researchers point out that, although the discovery holds a huge promise, much more work is necessary to translate these results into practical antibiotic treatments. Nevertheless, the new function of the proteasome represents a potential turning point in the fight against drug resistant infections.
